PC World article

We put out a special briefing/article about this case -- it's HUGE -- earlier this evening. For those of you who don't subscribe to the Banker Briefings, you can access the article (complete with links to the complaints filed against the perpetrators) here:
Giant Identity Theft Case

I'm telling you what, maybe now pressure will be put on law enforcement and the courts to bust these cowards (I HATE Identity Thieves). The problem with ID Theft is that people don't fear it nearly as much as they do rape, murder, armed robbery, and the like. But this thing has gotten national press, so I hope that something will be done about it. What do you think?

I guess I'd have to say that the relative levels of fear inspired by crime are appropriate. Your query could turn into a critique of the entire subject of criminal justice and jurisprudence which would clearly be a bad idea. I agree that these thieves should do hard time, just as murderers and rapists and armed thugs.
It seems obvious to me that the more harm you do to others, the more onerous should be the sentence. And I'm a big fan of restitution. I think it should be imposed and enforced far more often than it is. Nothing brings a lesson home quite like being made to make the aggrieved party whole, to fix what you broke.
Opinions expressed are my own and may not reflect those of my employer.

When I was with a big bank, I handled dozens of loan frauds that turned out to be identity theft. It was a great way to make money for the criminal with little risk of getting caught, especially if the bank has some type of loan by phone or internet loan product. Getting law enforcement interested was a tough sell, especially if we did not have a suspect. A lot of it boils down to honest employees. This guy got $30.00 per report, a very small profit considering what the ones he sold the information too got. I believe the 2.7 million loss estimate is a drop in the bucket.

Happy Thanksgiving all.