Identity Theft in the Digital Age: Legal Gaps, Enforcement Challenges, and the Need for Global Reform

Identity theft has grown into a major international issue that hurts everyone from individual people to banks and government departments. This research examines international legal frameworks designed to combat identity theft. The study examines critical laws such as the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, Theft Penalty Enhancement Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, and Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act, among others. The study reveals that inconsistencies in enforcement across jurisdictions reduce the effectiveness of identity theft laws. According to analysis, identity theft keeps growing as one of today's most common crimes because people conduct financial transactions online and cyber security poses significant weaknesses. The results call for better consumer security measures plus stronger connections between federal and state agencies along with new anti-fraud technology. The findings recommend that governments create better data security laws while working together across borders and building better support for victims of identity theft. Ongoing improvement of identity theft laws plus education about it helps victims avoid both monetary loss and emotional distress.