New Identity Theft Involves Postings without Victims’ Consent

While rapid growth in identity theft is visible and this has again been proved in a recent incident in Alameda. A woman, aged 44, and her daughter, aged 19, fell victim to identity theft following the postings of her individual photographs on Craiglist.org. According to the Police, the incident was rather cruel because the mother's ex-boyfriend posted her photographs taken from her MySpace profile page and that of her teen daughter from her Facebook page, as reported by MercuryNews on February 22, 2008.

Additionally, the man posted the phone number and address of the unfortunate victims. As the woman started getting calls, she became aware of the Internet post. Moreover, an obscene note also accompanied it. The woman contacted Craiglist.org and was partly relieved because the posting materials were immediately removed. However, she also filed complaint with police.

The police said that they succeeded in tracing the location of a man in Berkley who was reportedly suspected of making the posts on Craiglist.org. According to the police, the man is likely to face a number of charges of identity theft.

Police started their investigations into the case on February 15, 2008, police officials said. While disclosing the case's details, Greg Ella, Police Detective of Alameda, said that the postings by the man surprised the woman, as they had ended their relationship five years back.

Albeit the incident is not like a usual identity theft where Social Security or credit card numbers are stolen, still investigators want the accused to be charged with the same crime because he used personal information of the victims without taking their permission.

Ella hopes that the case will remind everyone how serious it is to make an online posting without taking permission. She also said that people who post photographs and similar stuff just for fun don't realize the effects on someone's life, as reported by insideBayArea on February 22, 2008.

According to security experts and police, although the incident is not necessarily the ultimate identity theft, such crimes can be in many forms. Moreover, police also said that people can make illegitimate use of social security numbers and credit cards. It is advisable that people avoid filling unnecessary application forms.

Related article: New Zealand Releases Code To Reduce Spam

» SPAMfighter News - 2/28/2008