Police involvement in identify theft cases raises unique concerns, according to experts in the growing crime.
“The implications are huge, simply because the confidential information that a law enforcement office has access to is exactly the type of information used to commit identity theft,” said Marc Roger, the head of Purdue University?s Cyber Forensics Department and an identity theft expert. Rogers, a former police detective, said police need to use a variety of sources for investigations that contain sensitive information.
“It?s the nature of being a police officer. You have access to databases, places that would have information related to you: date of birth, Social Security number, your address,” he said.
Jim Hudson, a former police officer and co-founder of Amcrin Corp., a network for sharing fraud information between law enforcement agencies, banks and retailers, said that general identity theft is rarely a solo crime.
“If you?re talking about fraudulent cards, there?s almost always a team involved,” Hudson said.
Rogers said that although cases of identity theft by police officers are rare, it was important for police departments to reassure the public.
“Law enforcement officials should be stepping up and saying this is an isolated incident and we?ve handled it,” he said.
