Building an online bulwark to fend off identity fraud - NYTimes.com

A clotheshorse racked up thousands of dollars in mystery charges on a friend’s credit card. Phantoms emptied your uncle’s bank account. Someone took out a car loan in your colleague’s name and stuck her with the bill.

Identity fraud has been on the rise, as criminal cunning may be mixing with desperation during the downturn. Schemes seem to multiply daily, as scammers often half a world away dream up new ways to steal data to enrich themselves. According to Javelin Strategy and Research, 9.9 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2008, up from 8.1 million in 2007...