FTC Plans May Conference to Examine Current, Future State of Identity Theft

The FTC will examine the state of identity theft and how it may evolve, the commission said in a Tuesday news release announcing an all-day public conference May 24. Earlier this year, the FTC said it received more than 490,000 ID theft complaints in 2015, which the commission has characterized as an underreported crime. DOJ estimated 17.6 million Americans were victims of ID theft in 2014 (see 1601280051 and 1603010024). Next year's FTC conference will address how thieves get people's data, the type of information they often look for and how they use it or may attempt to use it in the future, the release said. The event also will seek to quantify the financial and economic impact of ID theft and resources available to victims. Next year will mark the 10-year anniversary of the executive order that created the federal Identity Theft Task Force, formed to develop a comprehensive strategy to fight the crime. The task force is chaired by the attorney general and co-chaired by the FTC chair.