New Research Center Will Study Identity Fraud

A new research center is being launched at Utica College in New York to study identity fraud and ways to fight the problem. The Center for Identity Management and Information Protection (CIMIP) is being developed by the Secret Service, the FBI, IBM, and LexisNexis. Norm Willox, chief executive of special services at LexisNexis, said that CIMIP will fill a gap in current efforts to understand and address identity fraud. Gary Gordon, professor of economic crime management at Utica College, will direct CIMIP, which will have access to Secret Service files to help researchers see the big picture and potentially spot patterns. James Burrus, acting assistant director of the FBI’s criminal investigative division, noted that identity fraud also has implications for national security. “The FBI looks forward to the opportunity to apply CIMIP research to more effective law enforcement and protection,” he said.

Wall Street Journal, 28 June 2006 (sub. req’d)