1. 1.      From the video, (part 1) describe two ways that identity thieves/hackers obtain a victim’s identifying information (credit card numbers, names/addresses, etc).

There are a number of ways through which identity thieves can obtain personal information that identifies an individual. The first method that they can use is phishing, which most entails attempting to obtain other people sensitive information by pretense of posing as a trustworthy entity during online communication, with a principal objective of undertaking financial fraud. It is usually a form of online theft that entails the theft of confidential information from an internet user. Most identity thieves pretend to help consumers and send fake emails posing as banks and other legitimate companies that are likely to use one’s credit card information. In this regard, consumers are likely to be fooled into submitting their information without knowing they are being fooled. The second method that identity thieves can use to obtain one’s identifying information is through an underground internet market/chat room of identity thieves where personal information is sold for as low as $ 5. In this black market chat rooms, credit card information are on offer for sale and one can easily acquire identifying information. Other methods include hacking and stealing laptop computers having personal information.

1. 2.      From the video (part 1) – once the credit numbers are given out to identity thieves online, how did they “test” to see if the cards were active/valid?

In order to test the validity of the credit card numbers issued online, the identity thieves probe the card in various ways such as making purchases, donations and transaction with the credit card before it reaches its maximum limit. From the video, it is evident that it takes a relatively small time for identity thieves to probe the card through purchases, donations and transactions in various countries. If the transactions using the credit card number is successful, then the credit card number is valid. After they are sure that the card is functional, the identity thieves commence making bigger purchases as time goes by.

1. 3.      According to the video (part 1), what is the dollar amount do experts estimate that identity theft costs Americans per year?

Experts estimate that identity thieves costs Americans approximately $ 5 billion annually, and in most cases, they are not caught.

1. 4.      In Part 1 of the video, Chris Hansen while running his undercover delivery service, encounters two individuals who appear to be assisting the identity theft ring. How did both of these individuals become involved in reshipping merchandise in the identity theft ring? Specifically, when Chris Hansen speaks to Jeff Ball, how has he become involved in reshipping stolen merchandise? Do you believe Jeff is telling the truth? Why or why not?

Jeff and Therese Ball became involved in the identity theft ring because they were posing as middlemen. Fundamentally, they were tricked by the actual identity thieves in order to redirect the delivery to them so that they could deliver the items to the actual identity thieves. In this way, the identity thieves are extremely difficult to track since the delivery does not go to them directly, but passes through a middle man, who then reships the delivery to the actual identity thief. Personally, I think that Jeff Ball is telling the truth and does not actually know that he is a pawn in the identity theft ring. The chances of Jeff being a scammer are relatively less, and his work focuses mainly on delivering the shipments and knows nothing beyond that. Perhaps, Wendy exploited the alleged romantic relationship to trick Jeff to becoming her middle man in shipping her items bought using stolen credit cards.

1. 5.      When Chris Hansen and his team follow the package (X-Box) to Africa, what challenges do they encounter? Based what you observed, what similar challenges would law enforcement face when trying to investigate this type of identity theft (describe at least two)?

When tracing the package to Africa, the challenge that Chris Hansen faces relates to the mysteriousness of the identity theft. The fact that they use middle men who have no knowledge that they are part of an identity theft scheme makes it difficult to trace the identity thieves. In addition, it is extremely difficult to ascertain whether the middle men are actually pawns in the international identity theft scam or they are being scammed without knowing what is actually going. These similar challenges are replicated for the law enforcement agencies when investigating identity theft involving stolen cards. For instance, Wendy was in Australia, she ships her packages to a middle man, who then reships the packages to other locations. In such a scenario, it is extremely difficult to trace the identity thief since the packages they are not entirely involved in the process and use other people who do not have the idea that they are being scammed.

1. According to Mr. Clements (end of Part 2), Identity Theft criminals are very infrequently identified and caught. According to Mr. Clements, what percentage of criminals are successfully identified/arrested?

1. Considering all you have learned from the “To Catch an Identity Thief” videos, identity three challenges to law enforcement when attempting to investigate/prosecute similar crimes to those detailed in the “To Catch an Identity Thief” videos. In your opinion, how can some of these challenges be overcome (either through changing laws, police policies, or prevention strategies)?

The three challenges to law enforcement when attempting to investigate identity theft crimes include: the mysteriousness of the identity thieves in the sense that they are not involved in the process entirely; the use of middle men to reship packages without knowing they are pawns. These challenges can be overcome by prevention strategies such as consumer awareness about ID theft. Consumers should be aware of the need to secure their personal identifying information in order to avoid becoming victims of identity theft.