With the incredible advances in technology in the recent past, there are new kinds of fraud being committed and Washington police are trying to keep up. With over a half a billion people now on Facebook, it has become a new area for identity theft. Facebook is a social networking site, where people can connect with others, write comments and post photos.
Tech savvy internet hackers have found ways to manipulate Facebook as a vehicle for identity theft, capitalizing on people’s addiction to the social networking phenomenon. A common scheme involves a hacker getting into someone’s Facebook page and contacting their friends and famiy, and asking for money. Often the plea comes in the context of the individual being stranded in a foreign country, and needing money to get home. Other schemes involve the placement of familiar looking links that one would commonly click on, only to find that by clicking on it, the victim has unwittingly downloaded a virus.
While the crime of identity theft is certainly not new, the vehicles by which it is being perpetrated are becoming more sophisticated, and more frequent. In fact, identity theft has been found to be the fastest growing crime in the country. Washington State ranks 8th in the U.S. for identity theft crimes committed per capita.
The crime of identity theft can be carried out not just via Facebook, but can occur in a multitude of ways such as bank fraud, credit card fraud and mail fraud, and the list goes on. It is reported that the U.S. Secret Service regularly investigates 25 types of identity theft. Generally the crime is committed when someone steals the personal information of another without their knowledge and uses that information to obtain money, credit cards or financial services.
Due to the prevalence of this crime, Washington has some tough laws against identity theft including prison time, penalties and fines. In Washington, if the identity theft involves less than $1,500., it is considered a Class C felony. A Class C felony is punishable by a maximum of 5 years in prison. If the amount involved is over $1,500. it is considered a Class B felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Someone convicted of this offense in Washington State is liable for the greater of $500 or the actual damages incurred.