Illegal immigrants cited in theft of 39 million Social Security numbers

[Dr. Who]

It also Fraud, could be wire fraud. All theft crimes have two ends jail the people who steal and jail the people who receive. If there were substantial penalties for both, it would stop. They are all criminals

I guess from a legal perspective, I am getting at the intent aspect. The organized crime vs the petty crime.

[Peter1469]

I know receiving stolen goods is illegal and that is essentially what this is, but the place to start is by making the punishment for the original identity theft worth serious hard time.

It is much more than receiving stolen goods. When your identity is stolen and credit rating destroyed, you are damaged. When I was trying to buy my condo my ex-wife had her credit score destroyed from an illegal who used her SSN. It took a very long time to fix it so we could buy this place.And property values were increasing.

I would want SSN stealers to be shot.

[Common]

This is clearly trumps fault

[Dr. Who]

It is much more than receiving stolen goods. When your identity is stolen and credit rating destroyed, you are damaged. When I was trying to buy my condo my ex-wife had her credit score destroyed from an illegal who used her SSN. It took a very long time to fix it so we could buy this place.And property values were increasing.

I would want SSN stealers to be shot.

One way to protect SSNs would be to introduce biometrics - thumbprint or retinal scan or both, kept on file by the government. You can't be set up for payroll or use the number for banking or credit agencies without confirmation that your biometrics match. It would pretty much put an end to that form of identity theft.

[Captdon]

39 million illegals didn't conspire to steal SS numbers. A bunch of criminals did and then sold them to illegals who wanted to work. Not that identity theft is ever justified, but if the criminals, who are probably well-educated citizens didn't steal people's identities, they couldn't be sold to desperate illegals. Those same criminals also steal credit card numbers and any other form of identification that they can sell. If hacking and identity theft carried the same kind of criminal penalties as armed robbery, you would see a significant decline in this kind of crime, but as it is, it is viewed as "white collar" crime with comparable limp-wristed penalties.

39 million illegal immigrants broke the law. Of there was no market there would be no theft. You have it backwards.

Don't mention limp-wristed penalties when nothing happens to illegal residents.

[Captdon]

I guess from a legal perspective, I am getting at the intent aspect. The organized crime vs the petty crime.

They are crimes of equal severity.

[Tahuyaman]

I know receiving stolen goods is illegal and that is essentially what this is, but the place to start is by making the punishment for the original identity theft worth serious hard time.

Let's hold all guilty parties accountable.

[Peter1469]

They have started this Dulles.