IDENTITY FRAUD & DEED POLL REGISTRATIONS
Identity fraud plays a major part in the ecology of land scams. Perhaps the main reason for this is the close physical proximity of most Land Title Registers and the Deed Poll registers. The same persons are likely to be operating the two systems. There is also the related problem that if general practices and procedures are allowing dysfunction in Land Title registers then this generalized problem is likely to be reflected in deed poll registrations.
The changing of a name by deed poll can also lead to a multiplication of records in an individual's name. For example if John Smith changes his name to Bob Brown, then this person tends to have a greater burden of records than someone who has had the same name all their lives. It is possible that a criminal element may attempt to revive the old identity and make use of it.
IDENTITY FRAUD VS TRUE IDENTITY THEFT
Identity fraud is where another individual steals bankcard and other documents and then makes use of them for theft purposes. These frauds are remarkably easy and usually involve the perp stealing bankcard details from rubbish bins or in over the counter transactions. This sort of theft is extremely annoying however true identity theft is where another person is attempting to become you. Sometimes the two types of criminal activity are related. However identity fraud is generally more likely to be acted upon than identity theft by law enforcement agencies. Identity theft is a more serious crime however as there is an ever-present risk that the person or persons who are trying to usurp your identity may want you, the real person, out of the way. This is why identity theft crime is often perpetuated by the most cold-blooded and psychopathic criminals.
MR NICE'S ACCOUNT OF HOW FALSE PASSPORTS ARE OBTAINED
Probably the most evocative account of identity fraud by criminals is contained in a few sentences of drug baron Howard Marks' book Mr Nice. In this account of Mr Marks' career in drug dealing he describes an encounter with a London lawyer who outlines how he obtains official passports using the identities of London tramps.
The key point being that the tramps are unlikely to ever travel. If the tramps tried to travel the false passport would become obvious.
This passage deserves some serious thought as it becomes apparent that the use of tramp's identites to obtain false passports is to some extent condemming these people to a lifetime as tramps as certain persons in society (notably the lawyer and the drug couriers who use the passport) will be inconvenienced if these tramps should ever attempt to better themselves.
If the identities of these tramps have been obtained through the assistence of welfare personnel who administer the affairs of these homeless people then the likelehood of them ever being able to climb out of the gutter is even more remote as those responsible for the identity theft will be trying as hard as they possibly can to ensure that the homeless persons never rehabilitate.
This is one of the most disturbing aspects of identity theft and we need to ask ourselves what this means to us as a democratic society.
The aspect of identity theft which is most disturbing to those who have been afflicted with this problem is that ultimately if someone has stolen your identity then this person would rather if you weren't around as a potential problem. Not only does the person who is using your identity better off if you aren't around but so are the multitude of persons (mainly clerical workers) who have assisted the identity thief in obtaining your identity in the first place.
THE DEAD PERSONS ASSOCIATION
Perhaps the most spectacular example of identity theft is the Dead Persons Association in Utter Pradesh, India. The society which comprises some 10,000 living people have been involved in trying to prove they are alive for up to 25 years.
The members of the Association claim that many of them are victims of greedy relatives who report a person dead and then have the land of the deceased transferred to their own name with the connivance of corrupt officials.
The Association's founder, Mr Lal Behari Mritak says that since many were officially dead on the records, they ran the risk of being killed by those who grabbed the land.
Mr Behari contested two elections against former prime minsters V P Singh and the late Rajiv Gandhi just to prove he was alive. He also committed a kidnapping to force police to register a case against him. While Mr Behari was finally successful in proving he was alive many others have spent years shuttling between district councils, State bureaucrats and the High Court attempting to prove that they are alive.
THE SNOWTOWN MASSACRES
Whereas we might console ourselves that this type of fraud is not possible in advanced Western democracies - identity frauds can lead to serious problems for afflicted persons in countries with advanced record systems.
This event which has been billed as a group of persons "preying on each other" is emerging as Australia's worst ever serial killing.
What marks this event as identity fraud is that Social Security payments continued to be paid to some of the victims after their deaths.
THE SWITCH
Perhaps the Australian criminal who best illustrates the psychopathic nature of true identity thieves is Alexander MacDonald who in 1996 advertised for a geological survey assistant, hired look-alike Ron Williams and took him half-way across Australia, obtained all Williams personal details and then shot Williams in the head while the pair were fishing on a deserted beach.
MacDonald, a Vietnam Vetran and bank robber then lived as Williams until 1997 when he was apprehended as a result of an appearance on Australia's Most Wanted
The extraordinary thing about MacDonald is that while he could talk about shooting Williams at point blank range with about as much emotion as he would talk about slaughtering a sheep, he was found to have been a sponsor of a poverty-stricken child in South America under the Christian Children's Fund.
THE KIMES
Mother and son grifters Sante and Kenneth Kimes were arraigned in 1999 on charges of murder, conspiracy and fraud for their alleged involvement in the death of Manhattan hieress Irene Silverman.
Sante Kimes had been arrested while posing as Silverman and trying to have the deed to Silverman's mansion registered in the name of her son Kenneth. The Kimes were in possession of the missing woman's driver's licence and other personal documentation.
Sante Kimes was described by police as one of the best conwomen ever and the pair are believed to have been implicated in the deaths of two other people.
Dead Persons Society
The Identity Dilemma - Why We Can't Prove Who We Are -not available yet
Martin Guerre-Identity on Trial in 16th Century France -not available yet
The Lost Certificates of Title-problems in Tasmania - not available yet
Stolen Babies and Registration Problems in Tasmania-not available yet
Transcript of Police Interview with Alexander MacDonald - not available yet
Sante & Kenneth Kimes
