IG: DOJ, FBI have lost sight of identity theft priorities

Identity theft is a major threat to millions of Americans but a new inspector general audit of the Justice Department worries efforts against it are falling by the wayside. 

In 2008, identity theft was the fastest growing crime, claiming 10 million victims, according to recent estimates by the Justice Department's Criminal Division. Fighting it became a high priority after President George W. Bush signed a May 2006 executive order creating the President's Identity Theft Task Force, but since then the programs against it have "faded as priorities," the report says.

Justice's efforts are neither coordinated nor given sufficient priority, auditors contend. "We believe that additional DOJ leadership is needed to ensure that DOJ's overall efforts to combat identity theft are coordinated and prioritized," the report states. The report recommends that all components have a designated office or official who will reaffirm identity theft plans, monitor agency initiatives and periodically meet with the DOJ's designee.

The audit proposes 14 recommendations to the DOJ and its components--the Federal Bureau of Investigation, included--and urges the department to develop "its own comprehensive strategy to combat identity theft" rather than continue to follow the president's 2006 directive.

"Representatives from every DOJ component involved in this review told us that they have not received guidance from DOJ's leadership since the Task Force concluded its work [in September 2008]," says the report.

The absence of leadership, and the lack of reporting on identity theft instances and resources dedicated to such efforts are recurring themes throughout the audit:

• The Executive Office for United States Attorneys provided data on identity theft convictions and time spent by attorneys on such cases, but "cautioned the OIG about the accuracy of these figures."
• The FBI investigated and reported on identity theft cases in its Financial Crimes Report to the Public for FY 2006, but was unable to provide similar data for FYs 2007 through 2009. "According to FBI officials, the FBI no longer collects data on investigations or convictions that involve identity theft."
• The Office of Justice Program's Bureau of Justice Statistics began including identity theft-related questions in its National Crime Victimization Survey in July 2004. However, the surveys are not published in a timely manner--the 2006 survey results will not be published until summer of 2010. "BJS's reporting takes on greater importance in view of the lack of data being collected by the FBI," says the report.
• The Federal Trade Commission collaborated with BJS on a more comprehensive identity theft survey based on the first half of 2008. Audit officials were informed that the FTC has "no plans to conduct future identity theft surveys."

For more:
- see the Justice Department Office of the Inspector General audit report (.pdf)
- read and article from InternetNews.com

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