“We are talking about one of the largest-growing crimes in America, with literally hundreds of thousands of victims a year. It is called identity theft ... The average identity theft costs $17,000. The average length of time it takes an individual to recover their identity ... is a year and a half. It is a substantial and serious crime.

Now, what is the most common personal identifier that is stolen? It is the Social Security number. Because with that and a driver’s license, … you can go out and assume another’s identity and proceed to commit a felony crime.”

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, California,
Senate Committee on Finance, July 11, 2002