Between Awareness and Ability: Consumers and Financial Identity Theft

Abstract

The role consumers play in the facilitation of financial identity theft is an important topic of discussion. Academics often side with consumers and recognize them as victims rather than facilitators. Others, both in the public and the private sector, believe consumers play a more prominent role in the facilitation of financial identity theft. This is particularly apparent through the popularity of public awareness campaigns. Neither of these accounts manages to reflect the complexity of the overall picture. The following article demonstrates how the role consumers play is continuously changing as a result of the evolution of methods used by perpetrators of identity theft. This evolution requires a different response from both the public and the private sector as consumers lose more control over their potential indirect facilitation of financial identity theft.

Keywords: Financial identity theft, consumers, information security, public awareness campaigns

JEL Classification: Z18, G32, G38, O33, O38