Proactive tips to prevent familiar fraud from occurring in your relationships

Are there laws against identity theft?

Yes. In 1998 Congress passed the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (918 U.S.C.1028), which makes it a federal felony to use another person's identification with the intent to commit unlawful activity. Federal agencies such as the Secret Service, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigate suspected violations of this law; the Department of Justice handles prosecutions.