What are the legal remedies for identity theft?
As of October 2004, 48 states, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands had specific identity-theft laws. States that have no specific identity-theft legislation may have other laws prohibiting the criminal behavior of identity thieves. Under the 1998 Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, identity theft became a federal offense. This Act recognizes the victim (rather than creditors) as the true victim, and provides for payment of restitution. Violations of the 1998 Identity Theft Act are investigated by various federal law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, the Social Security Administrations Office of the Inspector General, FBI field offices, or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
