John Dennehy (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 282: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his proposals to combat identity fraud; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34603/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am informed by the Garda authorities that identity theft is an umbrella term used for crime committed, whereby crimes are effected against an injured party by assuming the injured party's identity. The most common type of crime relates to so called phishing — debit and credit card fraud. The act of phishing constitutes a number of offences contained in the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, which was signed by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on behalf of Ireland in February 2002, contains provisions dealing with extra-territorial jurisdiction, in certain circumstances, in relation to fraud committed by means of computer.

Examination of the requirements to enable Ireland to ratify the Convention has been carried out and that examination has shown that some legislative changes will be required. The extent and scope of these changes are still being considered by my Department in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General. When this work is completed I will bring proposals to Government to give legislative effect to the Convention.

The Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation has been involved in a number of initiatives raising public awareness of this type of criminality including the following. A website entitled Safecard was launched in partnership with the Irish Payment Services Organisation, which addresses many issues around payment card fraud, in particular the issue of identity theft. The Garda website also contains advice to members of the public on how to avoid this form of criminal activity. The Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation also participates in a High-Tech Crime Forum, which includes representatives from the major financial institutions in Ireland, the Irish Bankers Federation, the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland and the Irish Payment Services Organisation. The Forum considers strategies to target certain categories of crime, including identity theft. The Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation also participated in a 'Make IT Secure' Programme in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. Advice booklets, including one on identity theft, which were produced in this programme, have been circulated to every Garda Station in the country. My Department will continue to keep developments in this area under review.