May 2, 2007

NEWS: Task Force Recommended

Per a 120-page report from the President’s Identity Theft Task Force, the federal government ought to establish a National Identity Theft Law Enforcement Center to combine anti-crime efforts among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The Task Force calls for a center that will allow authorities, regulatory agencies and the private sector to share, analyze, and pull together identity theft information and track the prevalence of the crime. The Justice Department was tapped by the Task Force to head things up. Other collaborators in the effort would ideally include the FBI, Secret Service, Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General, Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Postal Service, with reps from each organization having a voice on the panel, according to the Task Force.

The proposition was included in the Task Force’s long-awaited update report on 4/23. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez pointed out the prevalent need to do more to educate the American public on the perils of identity theft, and the simple ways in which it can be prevented or curtailed. Along with Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras, Gonzalez heads the Task Force. Industry experts are very keen on the notion of creating a law enforcement center. The primary justification for an organized unit is that fact that criminals tend to be meticulously organized, so authorities should, as well.


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