How did people in the past prevent identity theft? I mean before the photos and new secure technology on identity documents were available?

Question

How did people in the past prevent identity theft? I mean before the photos and new secure technology on identity documents were available?

In: 568

Answer 1

I think our modern conception of “identity theft” is largely a product of telecommunications and interconnected security and tracking systems; the credit reporting, the criminal databases, the social security system, etc.

In the old days, a fraudulent charge on a credit account was probably a one-off thing; it didn’t follow that the swindler would then be able to apply for more credit in your name, or impersonate you in public, or try your social media password on some big bank websites, etc. Those systems weren’t so standardized and interconnected.

But in a world of interconnected databases and authentication systems, detailed personal information on even Joe Nobody can be a juicy target, even for someone on the other side of the world.