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Seorang lelaki yang cuba menyelamatkan seorang wanita daripada diragut oleh peragut tetapi dia pula yang menjadi sasaran polis kerana salah faham.

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Urban like environment.

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Define as a feeling of complete and energized focus in an activity with a high level of enjoyment and fulfillment.

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- clear goals.
- no distraction.
- direct feedback.
- continuous challenge.

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+ Actions / Movement : Running & jumping

+ Skills : -.

+ Control Button :
Arrow up = Jump
Arrow left = Move left
Arrow right  = Move right

+ Characters : Can be customized and change the costume as you like

+Gain/Loss in Battles :
- Gain : Health.

- Loss : Healthy

+ Sound FX : Environment, walking, battle, scene, cinematic and Special

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Once there was a man named Darwin, who was a regular person with no job.

Everyday he always reading comics, watching movies & workout. Darwin thought one day he could become a hero.

Until one day he went jogged and saw a theft trying to stole the women's handbag. Then Darwin change his low-cost suit and reveal himself to caught the theft. But then the police came up and looks Darwin as the theft too. And so Darwin have to caught the theft and the same time he had to ran from the police. He finally caught the theft and beat him until knock out. Later, he returned the handbag to the women.

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Spike tra

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Saw trap

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2D Game Engine

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Modern. Highly capable. Versatile. This is the all-in-one tool to build and ship your games globally.

Simple And Powerful Blocks

Construct's unique block-based approach is a simple and exciting way to start designing games. There's no need to learn the syntax of complicated programming languages. Each block is a list of conditions on the left. When those conditions are met, it performs the actions on the right.

Mouse

On collision with

Cheese

Cheese

Mouse

Cheese

Audio

It's both the easiest and most powerful alternative to code. Complete beginners will find it rewarding, and yet it is powerful enough to build ambitious and innovative games.

Node or flowchart based tools can quickly land you in a spaghetti-like mess. Construct's event sheets stay organised even with thousands of blocks. It doesn't limit your creativity - so you can build the game of your dreams without a single line of code.

Learn To Code

Programming is a valuable skill, and Construct makes it uniquely easy to learn. You can design your entire game using blocks alone. However you can also combine blocks with JavaScript. It couldn't be easier to write your first line of code.

Want to go further? You can even add script files, and start writing more of your game in code. Then try writing an entire game in JavaScript alone! Construct's visual editors combined with its powerful game engine lets you have it both ways: beginner friendly blocks, all the way up to a full coding editor.

And So Much More

There are genuinely too many features in Construct to reasonably list here. Here's just a few more things Construct has:

Built-in image editor with animations support

Custom collision polygons

Tilemap editor ideal for grid-aligned games

A physics engine for realistic simulations

Intelligent and highly optimised pathfinding

Instant Savegames support

Organise objects and effects on to layers

In-editor live previews of particles, animations and more

Advanced text formatting with BBCode, including with Sprite Fonts and Web Fonts, as well as text effects like typewriter animation

A range of form controls to easily get input from the user

Advanced media support including video playback, recording gameplay videos, camera input, microphone input, audio effects, and more

Easily integrate other web content with iframes, including embedded YouTube videos

Use data formats like JSON, XML, data structures like Dictionaries and Arrays, and edit them visually with the data editors

Use networking including AJAX, WebSockets, and make multiplayer games based on WebRTC DataChannels

Get more insight into how your game is working with the debugger

Watch real-time CPU and GPU performance measurements in the profiler

Convenient search including find all references

Multi-monitor support, allowing different windows on different displays

Use different editor themes including a dark theme

Ready to get Going?

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Use our advanced and powerful games editor to build the game you've always imagined. Our editor is packed with features to allow you to create your own games.

# data[].attributes.body
Name : Darwin
Appearance : Vigilante
Clothing : Low-cost hero
Weapons : None

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Ragut - Wikipedia Bahasa Melayu, ensiklopedia bebas

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memerlukan petikan tambahan untuk pengesahan .memperbaiki rencana ini dengan menambahkan petikan ke sumber-sumber yang boleh dipercayai. Bahan yang tidak disahkan mungkin akan dipertikai dan dipadam. (Mac 2017) (Ketahui bagaimana dan bila untuk membuang pesanan templat ini)

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Terdapat banyak punca berlakunya jenayah ragut ini berlaku. Anataranya adalah jenayah ragut merupakan kerja yang paling mudah dan menguntungkan dalam sekelip mata sahaja tanpa mengambil masa yang lama. Ini kerana, hasil daripada meragut terdapat pelbagai barangan yang bernilai yang boleh dijual atau digadai bagi mendapatkan wang untuk membeli keperluan, keinginan semata - mata dan membeli dadah kerana golongan peragut ini kebanyakannya terdiri daripada penagih dadah. Ini kerana penagih dadah tidak mempunyai pekerjaan dan tidak mempunyai pendapatan untuk membeli dadah.

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Assalamualaikum WBT dan Salam Sejahtera

Semakin hari kes jenayah berlaku di mana-mana sahaja. Perkara ini cukup membimbangkan kita semua.

Salah satu kes jenayah yang cukup berleluasa pada masa kini di negara kita adalah jenayah ragut.

Kebanyakkan kes jenayah ini berlaku adalah kepada golongan wanita yang dilakukan oleh peragut lelaki.

Antara barang-barang yang sering menjadi pilihan peragut adalah beg tangan barang kemas dan telefon bimbit.

Hasil pembacaan saya mendapati terdapat 3 Punca Jenayah Ragut yang sering berlaku.

3 Punca Jenayah Ragut

# 1. Desakan hidup

Kehidupan yang terdesak oleh kerana kerana taraf kehidupan di negara ini semakin meningkat menyebabkan rakyat Malaysia perlu mencari duit untuk meneruskan kehidupan walau dengan cara apa sekalipun.

Selain itu, ada juga mereka yang telah hilang punca pendapatan untuk menyara keluarga. Perkara ini terjadi mungkin kerana kemelesetan ekonomi yang menyebabkan syarikat atau kilang yang terpaksa ditutup.

Ada juga yang sanggup meragut kerana tamak dan ingin hidup mewah dengan segera. Mungkin kerana terpengaruh dengan kemewahan orang lain.

Faktor lain yang menjadi faktor desakan hidup adalah penagihan dadah. Kebanyakkan kes ragut adalah melibatkan mereka yang mengambil dadah.

Mereka sanggup melakukan jenayah ragut kerana ini merupakan cara yang paling cepat untuk mendapatkan wang.

# 2. Sikap mangsa

Rata-rata yang menjadi mangsa ragut adalah wanita. Seperti yang saya nyatakan di atas, antara barangan yang menjadi idaman peragut adalah barang kemas, beg tangan dan telefon bimbit.

Peragut mudah tertarik dengan wanita-wanita yang suka mendedahkan barang kemas yang dipakai. Tambahan pula, barang kemas yang keterlaluan.

Apabila mereka berjalan, mereka tidak peka dengan keadaan sekeliling, adakah laluan mereka selamat atau tidak.

Tempat-tempat yang sering dilalui oleh golongan wanita adalah lorong sunyi dan berjalan berseorangan.

# 3. Kawasan yang tidak mempunyai ciri keselamatan

Kawasan yang tidak mempunyai ciri-ciri keselamatan juga merupakan punca jenayah ragut sering berlaku.

Kawasan-kawasan yang menjadi target mereka adalah kawasan yang tidak kamera litar tertutup, dan tidak ada lampu.

Selain itu, tidak ada penghadang atau pemisah di laluan pejalan kaki dan tidak ada papan tanda amaran kawasan berisiko kejadian ragut.

Penutup

Semoga kita semua dilindungi Allah SWT daripada perkara yang tidak diingini berlaku. Marilah kita berdoa agar diberi keselamatan dan perlindungan.

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Assalamualaikum WBT dan Salam Sejahtera Semakin hari kes jenayah berlaku di mana-mana sahaja. Perkara ini cukup membimbangkan kita semua. Salah satu kes jenayah yang cukup berleluasa pada masa kini di negara kita adalah jenayah ragut. Kebanyakkan kes jenayah ini berlaku adalah kepada golongan wanita yang dilakukan oleh peragut lelaki.

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SETIAP kali ada kelapangan, saya sering beriadah di taman rekreasi terutamanya di Taman Pudu Ulu, Kuala Lumpur yang terletak tidak jauh dari kediaman saya. Saya juga akan memandu sendiri kereta ke kawasan riadah tersebut selain berjumpa kenalan di restoran atau kedai kopi berhampiran jika tiada komitmen kerja di hujung minggu.

Namun sejak kebelakangan ini ramai yang menasihati saya agar lebih berhati-hati ekoran banyak kes ragut yang dilaporkan di akhbar termasuk yang melibatkan kematian mangsa. Saya hanya tersenyum dan mengucapkan terima kasih kerana sebelum ini sering memberikan nasihat serupa atas kapasiti sebagai Naib Pengerusi Kanan Yayasan Pencegahan Jenayah Malaysia (MCPF) dan aktivis masyarakat.

Sebenarnya masalah ragut adalah jenayah serius dan boleh berlaku kepada sesiapa sahaja, tidak kira usia atau status dalam masyarakat. Selain menyebabkan kecederaan dan kematian, kejadian ragut boleh mengakibatkan trauma kepada mangsa yang terselamat selain menimbulkan ketakutan dan kegusaran dalam kalangan ahli keluarga dan masyarakat.

Amat menyedihkan apabila kita sekali lagi dikejutkan dengan kes ragut yang menyebabkan kematian seorang warga emas yang ditikam di perut ketika cuba menghalang dua suspek daripada meragut rantai emas isterinya di Parit Buntar, Perak, baru-baru ini.

Yeap Bak Seng, 73, dan isterinya Teow Siew Gaik, 67, dilaporkan sedang berjoging berhampiran sebuah restoran makanan segera di Taman Wawasan, sebelum dua orang lelaki menaiki motosikal muncul dan cuba merampas rantai emas Siew Gaik.

Pergelutan berlaku antara mangsa dan dua lelaki berkenaan sebelum salah seorang suspek menikam mangsa dengan senjata tajam, dipercayai pisau. Mangsa meninggal dunia di tempat kejadian.

Kes tragis terbaharu ini serta kejadian ragut yang menyebabkan kematian mangsa sebelum ini seharusnya menjadi peringatan kepada kita supaya lebih menghargai nyawa berbanding barang kepunyaan yang lain.

Kita harus sentiasa ingat bahawa wang ringgit, barang berharga dan dokumen peribadi boleh diganti tetapi bukan nyawa. Gunakanlah kebijaksanaan untuk menilai keadaan sebelum mengambil tindakan terhadap peragut kerana dalam masa yang amat singkat kita harus memutuskan sama ada selamat atau tidak untuk melawan peragut berkenaan.

Pada pandangan saya, adalah lebih baik jika tidak melawan atau mengambil tindakan yang boleh mengundang bahaya sekiranya berhadapan dengan situasi genting yang boleh meragut nyawa. Mangsa hanya boleh melawan peragut jika kejadian itu berlaku di khalayak ramai di mana orang awam boleh membantu menahan suspek serta melindungi mangsa daripada dicederakan.

Mangsa tidak seharusnya meletakkan nyawa mereka sebagai taruhan kerana peragut mungkin memiliki senjata dan akan menyerang mangsa dalam usaha mereka untuk melarikan diri. Berdasarkan statistik polis, lebih daripada 60 peratus kes jenayah yang dilakukan kerana peluang yang terbuka, termasuk ragut dan pecah rumah, dilakukan oleh penagih dadah yang tidak akan teragak-agak untuk menggunakan kekerasan terhadap mangsa.

Kita harus menghargai nyawa yang tidak ternilai dan menerima kenyataan bahawa peluang untuk mengalahkan peragut amat tipis jika kejadian berlaku di tempat terpencil dan kita pula hanya berseorangan.

Sepertimana kesungguhan kita memerangi najis dadah, saya amat berharap pihak berkuasa turut mengisytiharkan peragut sebagai musuh negara. Orang ramai juga tidak seharusnya membuka peluang kepada penjenayah seperti memakai barang kemas atau membawa barang berharga ketika beriadah di kawasan terpencil.

Mereka juga harus membuang pemikiran bahawa jenayah seperti itu "tidak akan berlaku kepada saya" dan harus mengambil tindakan proaktif untuk mengelakkan diri daripada menjadi mangsa.

Orang ramai juga mesti mengambil tahu mengenai taktik terkini yang digunakan oleh peragut termasuk meminta mangsa menunjukkan arah ke sesuatu alamat sebelum merampas beg atau barang berharga milik mangsa.

Terdapat juga kes pelaku datang ke rumah mangsa dan meminta alamat atau berpura-pura bahawa mereka mahu menghantar surat atau pakej. Orang ramai, terutama warga emas dan wanita, mestilah berfikir dengan pantas dan sentiasa berjaga-jaga apabila berjalan bersendirian.

Pihak polis pula perlu meningkatkan rondaan dan meletakkan anggota polis berpakaian biasa di 'lokasi panas' untuk membantu menahan peragut di tempat kejadian. Langkah proaktif lain yang boleh diambil termasuk memasang lebih banyak kamera litar tertutup (CCTV) di kawasan yang sering menjadi sasaran peragut termasuk di kawasan rekreasi atau laluan yang sering digunakan oleh pejalan kaki.

Kesemua langkah ini adalah penting kerana jenayah jalanan di negara ini semakin meningkat walaupun kadar jenayah secara keseluruhannya menurun berbanding tahun-tahun sebelumnya. Jika kita semua mengambil langkah berhati-hati dan berazam untuk memerangi ragut sebagai musuh negara, saya percaya ini akan mampu menggerunkan mereka yang terlibat atau mempunyai keinginan untuk meragut.

TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE ialah Naib Pengerusi Kanan Yayasan Pencegahan Jenayah Malaysia (MCPF).

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SETIAP kali ada kelapangan, saya sering beriadah di taman rekreasi terutamanya di Taman Pudu Ulu, Kuala Lumpur yang terletak tidak jauh dari kediaman saya. Saya juga akan memandu sendiri kereta ke kawasan riadah tersebut selain berjumpa kenalan di restoran atau kedai kopi berhampiran jika tiada komitmen kerja di hujung minggu.

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Testimony Provided by:
Beth Givens, Director

Senator Kyl, Senator Feinstein: Thank you for the opportunity to testify before your Subcommittee today.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is a nonprofit consumer information and advocacy program based in San Diego, California. The PRC was established in 1992. We have been assisting victims of identity theft since 1993, when we first started learning about this crime. Our guides for identity theft victims can be found on our web site at . I estimate that I have assisted at least 4,000 victims of this crime, and that others on our staff have assisted many thousands more over the years.

I appreciate the ability to provide written and oral testimony on the skyrocketing crime of identity theft, its impact on victims, and possible solutions. And I commend you and the Subcommittee members for addressing this issue. My written testimony is in four parts.

And fourth, I will recommend legislative and industry measures to prevent identity theft and to expedite the ability of victims to regain their financial healt

First , what is identity theft? There are numerous variations of this crime. Essentially, it occurs when someone uses bits and pieces of information about an individual -- usually the Social Security number -- to represent him or herself as that person for fraudulent purposes. Examples are obtaining credit cards and loans in someone else's name and then not paying the bills, opening utility accounts, renting an apartment, getting a cellular phone, purchasing a car or a home, and so on. Another type of identity theft - what I call the worst case scenario - is when the perpetrator commits crimes in the victim's name and gives that person a criminal record.

Victims are not liable for the bills accumulated up by the imposters, thanks to federal law. But they do have the anxiety and frustration of spending months, even years, regaining their financial health and restoring their good credit history.

How many victims of this crime are there? We don't have accurate statistics. But I estimate that there are 500,000 to 700,000 victims this year. [Sept. 2003 Update: Recent surveys show there are currently 7-10 million victims per year, greatly exceeding our earlier estimates. For more information, www.privacyrights.org/ar/idtheftsurveys.htm.] A 1998 report by the U.S. General Accounting Office tracked identity theft statistics from 1992 to 1997, based on figures provided by the Trans Union credit reporting agency (CRA). A graph on page 40 shows a dramatic 16-fold increase in the volume of calls from individuals to Trans Union's Fraud Department during the six-year period from 1992 to 1997. Trans Union now receives well over 2,000 calls a day from victims of identity theft. [U.S. General Accounting Office, www.gao.gov "Identity Fraud," Report No. GGD-98-100BR, 1998, p. 40]

Why are these figures significant? When individuals learn they are a victim of this crime, the first step they should take is to contact the three bureaus and place a fraud alert on their file. The CRAs are Trans Union, Equifax, and Experian (formerly TRW). Therefore, the number of calls received by the CRAs' fraud departments is a good indicator of the volume of this crime.

Why is this crime so rampant today? It is very easy for the criminals to obtain the information needed - in particular, Social Security numbers. Non-Social Security Administration uses of the SSN have not been prohibited by law, at least not to date. As a result, SSNs are used as identification and account numbers by many entities -- insurance companies, universities, cable television companies, military identification, banks, securities brokerage companies, and the like. In about a dozen states, the SSN is used as the driver's license number.

Identity thieves can obtain SSNs by stealing mail where those numbers are included. They sift through the trash outside of businesses and residences in hopes of finding unshredded documents containing SSNs and other data. Dishonest employees can obtain SSNs in the workplace by obtaining access to personnel files or accessing credit reporting data bases (commonly available in auto dealerships, realtors' offices, banks and other businesses that approve loans).

Another reason identity theft is rampant is because of credit industry practices. Credit grantors make it all too easy to obtain credit. Many credit issuers do not adequately check the identities of applicants before granting credit. Instant credit opportunities are especially popular with identity thieves for this reason. Credit grantors are all too eager, in their competitive zeal, to obtain new customers. It is not uncommon for households to receive several pre-approved offers of credit per week. In fact, a Los Angeles Times news story reported that credit issuers mailed 3.4 pre-approved offers of credit to consumers in 1998. ("Charges are flying over credit card pitches," by Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times, June 15, 1999, p. D-1. www.latimes.com)

Another reason identity theft is skyrocketing is that it does not yet get the attention of law enforcement that more violent crimes receive - like breaking and entering, mugging, robbery by gunpoint, and bank thefts. Many violent criminals and organized crime rings are moving to identity theft because they know that law enforcement resources are not yet sufficient to investigate the majority of such crimes. Identity thieves are rarely apprehended and sentenced. If they are, penalties are minimal and rarely include jail time. Community service and parole are the usual sentences.

is the methods used by identity thieves to obtain identifying information about their victims. Typically, they obtain the Social Security number and name. That's often all that is needed to apply for credit (called "application fraud"). They also might obtain credit card numbers and hijack existing accounts (called "account takeover). Other pieces of information useful to identity thieves are dates of birth, mother's maiden name, and driver's license numbers.

We are seeing an increase in the "inside job" in the workplace -- dishonest employees with access to computer terminals connected to one of the credit reporting agencies. They might look for names similar to theirs, or just someone with good credit. Obviously what goes hand in hand with this type of access is the negligence of the company which is permitting such uses in an unmonitored environment.

"Insiders" have also used their access to personnel records to obtain Social Security numbers of identity theft victims. In a recent case in San Diego, a dishonest employee had unfettered access to a storage room where past payroll information was filed. She obtained SSNs of over 100 current and former employees and used them to obtain credit in their names.

We learned of a case where a member of a Nigerian crime ring was employed temporarily at a very large corporation. He downloaded the employee list containing SSNs and then one by one the employees' identities were used for fraudulent purchases. The employees didn't know about it until they started sharing stories and learned that many of them had been hit. It wasn't until much later that the human resources department confessed that they had known about the theft, but they didn't want to tell the employees and cause them to panic.

The Internet is becoming a more popular resource for identity thieves. Yes, there are web sites that sell individuals' Social Security numbers. Social Security numbers can be purchased for as little as $20. They are found in records called "credit headers" that are sold by credit reporting agencies to information brokers. Credit headers include name and name variations, current and former addresses, telephone numbers (including unlisted numbers), year and month of birth, and SSN. At this time, there are no restrictions on the sale of credit headers to information brokers. Consumers have no way to "opt-out" of the sale of their credit header data. The information broker industry adopted a voluntary privacy policy in 1997, but it has been ineffective in restricting the sale of sensitive personal information to the general public. (See the Individual Reference Services Group guidelines at www.irsg.org.)

There are many more schemes. Most victims with whom we have spoken haven't a clue as to how their identifying information was obtained by the imposter.

is what happens to the victims of these crimes? Even though each identity fraud case is different, what happens to the victims is, sadly, all too similar.

Law enforcement doesn't investigate many such crimes. There's just too much identity fraud occurring for them to handle all such cases, although the financial fraud departments of many police departments are being expanded.

Many police and sheriff's departments refuse to issue a police report to the victims. They claim that the banks and credit card companies are the real victims because they suffer the financial losses. Many victims find they need the police report to prove their innocence to the credit card companies and the check guarantee services.

Many victims report they do not get effective help from the credit grantors, banks, and the CRAs. They describe difficulty in reaching the credit reporting agencies, and tell how they are treated disbelievingly by some creditors. Victims also report that flagging their credit report for fraud doesn't always stop the imposter from obtaining more credit.

Victims must also deal with abusive collection agencies. They are threatened with law suits, garnished wages, and having their homes taken away from them.

Another common experience of victims is that they must spend a great deal of time cleaning up the mess. I've talked to many who are taking the day or the week off work so they can make the necessary phone calls, write the letters, and get affidavits notarized. This costs them money as well. Many victims are saddled with this situation for years.

In a recent survey we conducted with CALPIRG, we found the average amount of time spent by victims to regain their financial health was 175 hours. And those cases had dragged on for an average of two years, with many cases taking more than four years to be resolved. ("Nowhere to Turn: Victims Speak Out on Identity Theft." May 2000. www.privacyrights.org/ar/idtheft2000.htm)

Victims are often scarred emotionally. They feel violated and helpless -- and very angry. I've heard people use the word "rape" to describe how they feel. I've talked to many who are crying or close to it because they cannot stop what is happening to them, and no one else will either. I've talked with elderly people who are terrified of losing their life savings and their homes.

It's little wonder that victims feel violated, helpless and angry. They are unable to rent an apartment, get a job, qualify for a mortgage, buy a car, all because someone else's bad credit history is recorded on their credit report. Essentially the entire burden of this crime is placed on the shoulders of the victims.

The worst-case scenario is when the thief commits crimes in the victim's name. We learned of a case where the imposter was a major drug dealer, using the identity of a high-tech company president. This man travels out of the country often and has to carry a letter from law enforcement which explains he is not the drug dealer, because he gets pulled into secondary inspection every time he comes back to the U.S. Recently law enforcement from another state, who had not read the entry on the FBI's NCIC crime data base completely, entered his bedroom in the early morning hours and tried to arrest him at gunpoint. He was able to convince them they were seeking the wrong person.

Another case that came to our hotline was an Hispanic man, a U.S. citizen, who was visiting relatives in Tijuana, Mexico, across the border from San Diego. He was taken into secondary inspection by U.S. Customs on his return trip to San Diego. A search of his SSN showed he was wanted for a crime in the Bay Area. He was transported from San Diego to San Francisco and put in jail. It took him 10 days before one of the officers believed him, took his fingerprints as he had requested all along, and realized they had the wrong person.

Finally, in order for victims to extricate themselves from the identity theft mess they find themselves in, they have to be fairly savvy consumers. They must be assertive with the credit card, banking and credit reporting industries. They must be assertive with all kinds of other officials as well. I have talked with many consumers who are not equipped to deal with the challenges that this crime brings to them -- individuals whose first language is not English, or those whose English language skills are such that they cannot communicate at the level of complexity that this problem requires. Those who are semi-literate or illiterate cannot write the necessary letters. Unfortunately, there are not enough consumer assistance offices to help these people.

My fourth and final topic is legislative and industry solutions to the crime of identity theft.

The awareness of identity theft among consumers has skyrocketed in the past year -- primarily because of media coverage. I think consumers are becoming much more wary of disclosing personal information and having it given out without their consent, especially on the Internet. These outcries by members of the public have resulted in some legislative attention brought to the issue, both on the federal level and in the states.

In 1998 Congress passed and the President signed the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (18 USC 1028). It makes identity theft a federal felony - when someone knowingly uses the identification of another person with the intention to commit any unlawful activity under federal and state law. Violations of this Act are investigated by federal agencies like the U.S. Secret Service, the Social Security Administration, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Such crimes are prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

This new law allows for restitution for victims. It established an identity theft clearinghouse within the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC now offers a toll-free number for consumers to call, 877-IDTHEFT, as well as a web site, www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

In recent years nearly 40 states have criminalized identity theft. Most of them have made it a felony. A list of those states can be found on the FTC's web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft/statelaw.htm

On the one hand, I'm pleased that this crime has been criminalized by these new laws. But I believe that in order to make a dent in identity theft, the practices of the credit industry must change dramatically. Until laws create incentives for the credit industry to change how they do business, the crime of identity theft will continue to climb at epidemic proportions.

I am encouraged by the introduction of Senate Bill 2328 by Senators Feinstein, Kyl, and Grassley, titled the "Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2000." It places the emphasis on prevention where it rightfully belongs. The points that follow include discussion of the key provisions of S.2328 ( http://thomas.loc.gov).

Here are some suggestions for making credit industry practices more fraud-proof:

A penalty should be assessed whenever a credit grantor extends credit to an imposter after the victim has placed a fraud alert on the credit file (a provision of S.2328).

Consumers should be able to notify the credit bureaus to put a "freeze" on their credit report -- to prevent their credit report from being furnished without specifically authorizing the release. A Vermont law requires that users of credit reports obtain permission from the consumer prior to obtaining the credit report (Title 9 sec. 2480e at www.state.vt.us. Click on "Statutes Online"). In California, state Senator Debra Bowen's SB 1767 would adopt the Vermont "opt-in" model.

Another important piece of legislation that needs to be enacted is a provision that takes the Social Security number out of circulation. A separate bill introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein would prohibit the commercial sale of SSNs (Social Security Privacy Act of 2000). This measure would also limit uses of the SSN by private sector entities. Government agencies could not display the SSN on mailing labels and documents available to the public.

In California, a bill introduced by state Senator Debra Bowen during the 2000 session would prohibit the use of the SSN as an account or member number by such entities as insurance companies and universities. (SB 1767 can be found at www.leginfo.ca.gov. Click on "Bill Information.")

As discussed earlier in this testimony, we consider the worst-case scenario of identity theft to be when the victim is burdened with a wrongful criminal record because of the activities of the imposter. This usually occurs when the imposter is arrested and released, perhaps for a traffic violation or shoplifting, and then does not appear in court. This results in a warrant for the arrest of the identity theft victim.

Victims of criminal record identity theft can find it impossible to obtain employment. Many have been jailed. It is common for such victims to be detained by U.S. Customs when entering the country after traveling abroad. They must carry a letter with them from law enforcement or the courts at all times in order to prevent wrongful detention. Such victims are faced with having their identity associated with a criminal record for the rest of their lives.

It is critical that legislation address the plight of such identity theft victims. There must be a way for them to learn that they have a wrongful criminal record. S.2328 includes an excellent provision enabling individuals to obtain the content of information about them that is compiled by an information broker, employment background check service, or individual reference service. If erroneous information is compiled in a background check for employment or other purposes, it is essential that the subjects of those investigations know the exact information that has been disclosed and the source from which the information was obtained.

Individuals who have wrongful criminal records must also be able to clear such records through an expedited process involving the law enforcement agency that made the arrest, the court system where the warrant was issued, and the official criminal records data bases at the state and federal levels. At present, there is no such process easily available to victims of criminal records identity theft. You might want to read about such a measure currently being considered in the California legislature, Assemblymember Susan Davis's AB 1897.

Victims of criminal record identity theft must also be able to locate all the information brokers that have obtained the erroneous information so they can have those records cleared as well. One solution would be to develop a national registry of individuals who are victims of criminal record identity theft and require all entities that conduct criminal records background checks to access that data base before reporting the criminal records information. In California, Assemblymember Tom Torlakson's AB 1862 would call for the development of such a data base within the California Department of Justice.

Legislation is not the entire answer to the vexing problem of identity theft. The credit granting and reporting industries must step up their efforts to assist consumers in preventing fraud altogether and in recovering from identity theft. The Associated Credit Bureaus announced an identity theft initiative in March 2000 that would streamline fraud-handling by the credit reporting industry ( www.acb-credit.com). The ultimate goal of this endeavor should be "one-stop shopping" for fraud victims -- a single phone call to launch the fraud clean-up process.

Both creditors and the CRAs should increase the use of artificial intelligence computer programs to identify patterns of fraud and to quickly notify consumers of suspected fraud activity. The May 2000 identity theft victims survey conducted by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and CALPIRG found that the average amount of time that had transpired before individuals learned they were victims of identity theft was 14 months. ( www.privacyrights.org/ar/idtheft2000.htm) Yet, evidence of fraudulent activity can often be easy to detect - numerous inquiries on the credit report in a short period of time, changes of address, monthly credit account bills that are much higher than usual, many late payments when the individual had none previously, and so on.

Before closing, I want to briefly discuss the role of law enforcement in investigating identity theft crimes and assisting victims. Three-fourths (76%) of the respondents to the PRC/CALPIRG identity theft survey reported that the police whom they contacted were unhelpful. Detectives were assigned to their cases less than half of the time. And one-fourth of the victims were not able to obtain a police report.

It is clear that the crime of identity theft calls for some new approaches by law enforcement. One approach that is being explored in California is the development of a single unit within the police department that specialize in identity theft. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has established such a unit. Assemblymember Robert Hertzberg has introduced AB 1949 to fund three pilot projects in the state to establish such specialized units.

Additional suggestions for addressing the multi-faceted crime of identity theft can be found in the PRC/CALPIRG identity theft survey, a copy of which has been provided to the Subcommittee. ("Nowhere to Turn: Victims Speak Out on Identity Theft," http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/idtheft2000.htm)

Thank you for the opportunity to testify about the crime of identity theft. Please feel free to contact the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse if you seek additional information or assistance.

Identity Theft Resources Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, Aug. 1999

Fact Sheet 17: "Coping with Identity Theft: What to Do When an Imposter Strikes."

Fact Sheet 17a "Identity Theft: What to Do When It Happens to You." Published w/ CALPIRG.

, by Beth Givens, Avon Books, 1997, paperback $12.50. Contains a chapter on identity theft.The Privacy Rights Handbook: How to Take Control of Your Personal Information

, by Mari Frank, Esq., and Beth Givens (1999, Office Depot). Contact Office Depot at (561) 998-0283.Privacy Piracy: A Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft

Fact sheets and book are available from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 3100 - 5th Ave., Suite B, San Diego, CA 92103. (619) 298-3396, Fax (619) 298-5681. Online inquiry form: www.privacyrights.org/qwertyuiopasdfghjkl.php. Fact sheets, speeches, and case studies can be found on the PRC's web site, www.privacyrights.org.

. CALPIRG's overview of the growing problem of theft of identity, issued August 1996.Theft of Identity: The Consumer X-Files

An update to the 1996 report, Sept. 1997.Identity Theft: Return to the Consumer X-Files.

These reports can be obtained for $20 each from:

, 926 J St., Suite 713, 926 J St., Suite 713, Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 448-4516. Web: www.pirg.org/calpirg.

, 218 D St., S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003. (202) 546-9707. Web: www.pirg.org.

. U.S. Government Accounting Office. Report No. GGD-98-100BR. Call the GAO to order a free copy: (202) 512-6000. Also available on the Web: Identity Theft: Information on Law Enforcement Efforts, Prevalence and Cost, and Industry and Internet Issues www.gao.gov.

"Are you a Target for Identity Theft?" Consumer Reports Special Report, Sept. 1997, pp. 10-16.

"The Great Name Robbery," by Sharon Epel. Good Housekeeping, Aug. 1998, pp. 98+.

by Travis J. Perry. (1999) Available via the Web: Five Steps to Prevent Stolen Identity Credit Fraud www.futurecrime.com.

Identity Theft Prevention and Survival

Written by Mari Frank, Esq., an attorney and victim of identity theft, who turned her experience into a guide to help other victims. Includes the book From Victim to Victor, attorney-written form letters on diskette, and six audiotaped interviews with victims and experts. Porpoise Press, 1998. $79.95 for entire kit, $39.95 for the book alone. Frank has alos written a book entitled Safeguard Your Identity.

Porpoise Press, 28202 Cabot Rd., Suite 215, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677. (800) 725-0807. Web: Available from: www.identitytheft.org.

To file a complaint about your identity theft case that may help the FTC and other law enforcement agencies investigate and apprehend identity thieves, contact the FTC: (877) FTC-HELP. Web: www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/identity/index.html. The web site lists federal and state identity theft legislation.
Web Sites

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Identity Theft: How It Happens, Its Impact on Victims, and Legislative Solutions

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Testimony Provided by: Beth Givens, Director Senator Kyl, Senator Feinstein: Thank you for the opportunity to testify before your Subcommittee today. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is a nonprofit consumer information and advocacy program based in San Diego, California. The PRC was established in 1992.

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How Does Identity Theft Happen | Equifax

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Learn more about the various ways identity thieves can gain access to your personal information.

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Name : Burglar
Appearance :The theft
Clothing : Burglar suit
Weapons : None