Identity Theft, Account Takeover, And Impersonation Crimes

05 Oct 2025 --
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🧩 PART I — Understanding the Crimes

1. Identity Theft

Definition:
Identity theft occurs when someone steals another person’s personal information (e.g., Social Security number, credit card, bank account) to commit fraud or other crimes.

Key Elements:

Unauthorized access to personal information

Intent to defraud or gain economic advantage

Use of stolen identity for financial transactions, loans, or accounts

Legal Basis (USA Example):

Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (1998) – federal law making identity theft a crime.

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) – addresses unauthorized access to online accounts.

2. Account Takeover

Definition:
Account takeover occurs when an attacker gains control of a victim’s online accounts (banking, email, or social media) and misuses them.

Key Techniques:

Phishing or spear-phishing

Credential stuffing

Malware/keylogging

Social engineering

Consequences:

Financial loss

Data breach

Fraudulent transactions

3. Impersonation Crimes

Definition:
Impersonation crimes involve pretending to be someone else to deceive victims, companies, or institutions.

Forms:

Online impersonation (social media, email)

Government ID or document fraud

Corporate executive impersonation (CEO fraud, business email compromise)

Legal Basis:

Criminal statutes against fraud, forgery, and identity theft.

Cybercrime laws under CFAA and state cyber laws.

⚖️ PART II — Landmark Cases

Case 1: United States v. Vladimir Drinkman (2015 – Identity Theft & Account Takeover)

Facts:
Drinkman led a cybercrime ring that stole 160 million credit card numbers from retailers in the USA and Europe.

Investigation:

Tracked hacking activity, malware, and server logs

Used forensic evidence from compromised databases

Judgment:

Convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and access device fraud

Sentenced to 12 years in prison

Significance:

Largest identity theft case at the time.

Demonstrated the global scale of digital identity theft.

Case 2: United States v. Albert Gonzalez (2008 – Account Takeover & Data Breach)

Facts:
Gonzalez hacked TJX Companies, Heartland Payment Systems, and others, stealing millions of credit card accounts.

Investigation:

Forensic analysis of hacked networks

Tracing malware, IP addresses, and stolen data transactions

Judgment:

Convicted of wire fraud, identity theft, and conspiracy

Sentenced to 20 years in prison

Significance:

Showed that cybercriminals can profit massively from account takeover.

Highlighted importance of network security and forensic evidence.

Case 3: Facebook Impersonation & Fraud – Jane Doe v. Facebook (2018)

Facts:
A victim’s identity was stolen to create fake social media accounts, defaming her and soliciting money from her contacts.

Investigation:

IP logs and email records traced the perpetrator

Cooperation with law enforcement led to account takedowns

Judgment:

Perpetrator arrested for identity theft and online impersonation

Victim received civil damages for defamation and fraud

Significance:

Illustrates social media impersonation and fraud.

Shows the role of platform cooperation in identifying offenders.

Case 4: United States v. Edward Majerczyk (2019 – Netflix Account Takeover & Email Phishing)

Facts:
Majerczyk obtained thousands of usernames and passwords from phishing campaigns, including Netflix and other subscription services.

Investigation:

Forensic tracking of phishing emails and IP addresses

Recovered stolen credentials and linked them to the defendant

Judgment:

Convicted of wire fraud and identity theft

Sentenced to 5 years in federal prison

Significance:

Demonstrated that even low-value account takeovers have criminal liability.

Reinforced prosecutorial ability in cyber-fraud cases.

Case 5: United States v. Kelly (2013 – IRS Impersonation & Tax Fraud)

Facts:
Kelly impersonated IRS officials to convince victims to pay fake tax debts.

Investigation:

Traced phone calls, email communications, and bank deposits

Forensic accounting confirmed fraudulent transactions

Judgment:

Convicted of wire fraud, mail fraud, and identity theft

Sentenced to 10 years in prison

Significance:

Example of impersonation combined with financial fraud.

Highlighted need for public awareness and IRS verification.

Case 6: United States v. Roman Seleznev (2016 – Account Takeover & Credit Card Fraud)

Facts:
Seleznev stole over 1.7 million credit card numbers via malware installed on point-of-sale systems.

Investigation:

International coordination (FBI, local police)

Cyber-forensic recovery of stolen card data

Judgment:

Convicted of wire fraud and identity theft

Sentenced to 27 years in prison

Significance:

Largest financial cybercrime sentence in U.S. history.

Demonstrated severity of penalties for digital identity crimes.

Case 7: United States v. Tyler Raj Barriss (2017 – Impersonation & Swatting)

Facts:
Barriss made fake emergency calls (“swatting”), impersonating victims and causing law enforcement to respond violently.

Investigation:

Tracked IP addresses and call logs

Linked perpetrator to deadly swatting incident

Judgment:

Convicted of wire fraud, conspiracy, and involuntary manslaughter

Sentenced to 20 years in prison

Significance:

Example of impersonation leading to physical harm or death.

Emphasized the criminal consequences of digital impersonation.

🧠 PART III — Key Takeaways

Identity theft, account takeover, and impersonation crimes are increasingly digital.

Cyber-forensics—IP tracking, malware analysis, email logs—is central to investigations.

Victims suffer financial and reputational harm, requiring both legal and technical remedies.

Penalties are severe, often decades in prison for large-scale crimes.

These cases show the global nature of cybercrime and need for cross-border cooperation.

✅ Summary Table of Cases

Case	Year	Jurisdiction	Crime Type	Outcome / Significance
U.S. v. Vladimir Drinkman	2015	USA	Identity theft	12 years prison; 160M credit card numbers stolen
U.S. v. Albert Gonzalez	2008	USA	Account takeover	20 years prison; TJX & Heartland breach
Jane Doe v. Facebook	2018	USA	Online impersonation	Civil damages & arrest; social media fraud
U.S. v. Edward Majerczyk	2019	USA	Account takeover	5 years prison; phishing & credential theft
U.S. v. Kelly	2013	USA	IRS impersonation	10 years prison; tax fraud & identity theft
U.S. v. Roman Seleznev	2016	USA	Account takeover	27 years prison; POS malware fraud
U.S. v. Tyler Barriss	2017	USA	Impersonation / swatting	20 years prison; deadly impersonation

These cases illustrate how identity theft, account takeover, and impersonation intersect with cybercrime, financial fraud, and even physical danger.