| Experts reckon that identity theft is one of the fastest-growing white-collar crimes in the United States. The number of consumer inquiries regarding
identity theft to Trans Union Corporation, a credit bureau, grew from 35,000 in 1992 to 500,000 in 1997, at which point Trans Union stopped reporting
its data publicly. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse reckons that there are now roughly 750,000 cases of identity theft a year. John Ellingson, a
privacy expert, says that the actual number of thefts may be higher, since many victims do not know how to report the crime-and others do not realise
that it has happened. |