President George W. Bush announced Wednesday the formation of a high-level federal task force aimed at addressing the rapidly rising problem of identity theft across the United States. The announcement came after Bush met with victims who described the financial and personal damage caused by the crime.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Deb Majoras will jointly lead the new panel. Gonzales acknowledged that while the administration had been working on the issue for some time, significant challenges remain.
According to a Justice Department report released the previous month, identity theft, in which criminals steal personal and financial data to impersonate victims, struck roughly 3.6 million American households during a single six-month window in 2004, representing about three percent of all US households.
Financial losses during that same period were estimated at approximately 3.2 billion dollars, averaging around 1,290 dollars per affected household, officials said.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in May 2006, in its own words.