DOJ cybercrime task force shows results

In May 2006 the U.S. interagency Identity Theft Task Force was created, chaired by the attorney general and co-chaired by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairman. After examining government and private sector efforts in the identity theft area, the Task Force in April 2007 issued a report to the President with thirty-one recommendations to improve our national efforts to combat identity theft. These recommendations included protecting personal data in the private and public sector, investigating and prosecuting data breaches and related identity theft, and assisting victims of identity theft. Since then, the Task Force has worked to implement these 31 recommendations over the last year across the government and with our private sector and international partners.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has supported this Task Force through the vigorous prosecution of the various forms of identity theft. The department’s identity theft prosecutions have ranged from simple theft of financial data and documents to credit-card “skimming” operations; high-tech “phishing” schemes; and schemes to use others’ online brokerage accounts to manipulate securities markets.

• Identity theft prosecutions — As just one example of the Department’s robust efforts to prosecute identity thieves, the Department has made extensive use of the aggravated identity theft statute since it was enacted in 2004. During fiscal year 2007, 2,470 defendants were charged federally with identity theft under either 18 U.S.C.§§ 1028 or 1028A. During the same year, 1,943 convictions were obtained under those statutes, and 95.39 percent of the cases resolved resulted in a conviction.
• Computer crime & intellectual property section — The Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) of the Criminal Division has more than 30 attorneys and computer forensic experts that are specially trained in investigating and prosecuting high technology crime and intellectual property offenses, including issues relating to collection of electronic evidence.
• Computer hacking & intellectual property (CHIP) program — More than 200 specially trained Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) in each of the 94 U.S. Attorneys offices are devoted to investigating and prosecuting computer crime and intellectual property offenses.
• International law — The department participated in the negotiation, and provided support for the ratification, of the international convention on cybercrime. This convention provides basic framework for substantive and procedural laws to allow greater cooperation among nations on the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime. The department is also working with international agencies, particularly the Council of Europe, to increase the number of countries that are parties and to ensure the