Accounting for Identity Theft: The Roles of Lifestyle and Enactment

• NCJ Number: 245104
• Author(s): Heith Copes, Lynne M. Vieraitis, Stephanie M. Cardwell, Arthur Vasquez
• Date Published: August 2013
• Length: 18 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: NIJ Solicitation for Crime and Justice Research FY05 Identity Theft: Assessing Offenders' Strategies and Perceptions of Risk

Annotation

This study explored the various justifications and excuses given by identity thieves.

Abstract

White-collar offenders are thought to be particularly adept at excusing and justifying their crimes. Whether this is due to their personal backgrounds or the characteristics of their crimes is, as of yet, unknown. To shed light on this issue the authors explore the various justifications and excuses given by identity thieves. Using data from semistructured interviews with 49 federally convicted identity thieves the authors show that they all provided numerous accounts for their crimes, with denial of injury being the most common. The authors also found that the use of accounts varied by the lifestyles these offenders live. That is, those seeking to live as conventional citizens call forth different accounts than those who have a criminal lifestyle. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage Journals.