President's Identity Theft Task Force

The President’s Task Force on Identity Theft was established by Executive Order 13402 on May 10, 2006, to fight against identity theft. The Task Force was to craft a strategic plan aiming to make the federal government’s efforts more effective and efficient in the areas of identity theft awareness, prevention, detection, and prosecution. The Task Force focused on several areas:


 * Law Enforcement. The Task Force examined the tools law enforcement can use to prevent, investigate, and prosecute identity theft crimes; recover the proceeds of these crimes; and ensure just and effective punishment of identity thieves.


 * Education. The Task Force surveyed current education efforts by government agencies and the private sector on how individuals and corporate citizens can protect personal data.


 * Government safeguards. Because government must help reduce, rather than exacerbate, incidents of identity theft, the Task Force worked with many federal agencies to determine how the government can increase safeguards to better secure the personal data that it and private businesses hold.

The Task Force conducted meetings, spoke with stakeholders, and invited public comment on key issues. On April 23, 2007, the Task Force issued its report, titled “Combating Identity Theft: A Strategic Plan.” The recommendations that comprise the Strategic Plan were designed to strengthen the efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers; to educate consumers and businesses on deterring, detecting, and defending against identity theft; to assist law enforcement officers in apprehending and prosecuting identity thieves; and to increase the safeguards used by federal agencies and the private sector with respect to the personal data they hold.