Seminar PROTEUS | Online identity theft: preventing, fighting and supporting victims
The Seminar PROTEUS | Online identity theft: preventing, fighting and supporting victims took place in Lisbon, on the 29th and 30th of October 2015, at the Auditorium of the Judiciary Police Headoffice.
This Seminar was developed under Project Proteus – supporting victims of online identity theft (co-financed by the European Commission under the Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme) that the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV) promotes in partnership with the Procuradoria-Geral da República (Portuguese General Prosecutor's Office), Físcalia General del Estado de España (Spanish General-Prosecutor Office), Politia Romana (General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police), Polícia Judiciária (Portuguese Judiciary Police) and the Pärnu Lähisuhtevägivalla Ennetuskeskus- Varjupaik (Pärnu Centre for Gender Based Violence), Estonia.
For the past several years, identity theft and identity fraud have become a more sophisticated and transnational crime across the globe. The generalized use of information and communication technologies and Internet allows for the internationalization of criminality and the constant appearance of new ways to commit such crimes, often perpetrated by highly sophisticated criminal organisations. The growth of social networks is making it easier for identity thieves to manipulate human behaviour in order to get the information needed to perpetrate the offenses.
Cybercrime victims are particularly unprotected and in urgent need of specialised and individualised support, support that the professionals involved are not yet prepared to give.
Another subject to bear in mind is the investigation difficulties faced due to the transnational nature of these crimes. International cooperation amongst States and with Internet service providers is essential.
The PROTEUS Seminar | Identity theft online: preventing, fighting & supporting victims was an important and unique opportunity to debate cross cutting issues related with identity theft and its legal framework, modi operandi, investigation, international cooperation and support to victims.