Report: Justice Department Asleep At ID Theft Switch

The U.S. Department of Justice has no coordinated effort to control the growing problem of identity theft and has failed to treat it as a priority, according to a report issued by the agency’s inspector general on March 30.

The report by Inspector General Glenn Fine said the Justice Department is not complying with many of the recommendations made in 2007 by then-President George W. Bush’s identity theft task force, a panel representing 17 federal departments and agencies. The report said the DOJ had not even assigned an official to oversee the implementation of those recommendations, and that it lacked a clear overall strategy, according to the Legal Times Web site.

"This lack of a coordinator responsible for the DOJ's identity theft efforts has led to an uncoordinated, and sometimes nonexistent, approach by DOJ components to address identity theft," the report stated.

The inspector general’s report also criticized the department’s data collection, noting that the FBI stopped collecting comprehensive data on identity theft in 2007.

The report also found that DOJ’s efforts focus too much on prosecutions, as opposed to assistance to victims of identity theft.

Identity theft affects an estimated 10 million Americans annually, the report said. It pointed out the tremendous inconvenience suffered by victims, who find themselves having to repair damage to their names or credit histories.