Combating Identity Theft

The federal government of Canada took a huge step forward in the fight against identity theft by introducing new legislation that would make it "it illegal to collect personal documents belonging to others in order to commit fraud" (As reported by CanWest in the article Government bill attacks identity theft).

This bill states that it will "become a crime in Canada to obtain, possess or traffic another person's passport, credit cards, drivers licences or other identity documents for the purpose of committing fraud."

This is a benefit to the officials who investigate cases of fraud and identity theft because they will be able to "take action against identity thieves in the process of collecting or hoarding personal information belonging to others, before fraud has been committed." Prior to legislation like this, these officials were only able to act when act of fraud or identity theft was actually being committed; they could not take pre-emptive measures.

This new legislation will also lead to harsher punishment for those convicted of identity theft. Along with the possibility of jail time, "identity thieves will face the possibility of reimbursing each and every one of their victims for the costs they faced as a result of the fraud."

It is about time a bill combating identity theft came into existence. The current federal conservative government should be commended for introducing legislation that has been long needed.

With the constant technological advances of our society, some forms of identity theft may become easier to track and prevent. However, these technological advances can lead to more sophisticated forms of identity theft that are nearly impossible to combat. A bill of this magnitude will finally punish those who commit identity theft to the extend they so desperately deserve.