Jusletter IT

Identity theft is not a new phenomenon. But the threat has become more pervasive in the digital age. Also the new online elements have given criminals more sophisticated means to commit identity theft. Identity theft occurs when someone unlawfully obtains another’s personal information and uses it to commit theft or fraud. «Identity theft» and «identity fraud» are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone unlawfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in a way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain. In Finland, identity theft has been a crime in its own right since 4 September 2015, when the new amendments to the Finnish Criminal Code to that end came into force.