By the time of Shiva Brent Sharma's third arrest for identity theft, at the age of 20, he had taken in well over $150,000 in cash and merchandise in his brief career. After a certain point, investigators stopped counting.
By the age of 18, Shiva Brent Sharma had joined the underground world of online identity theft.
Mr. Sharma was arrested three times in three years on charges related to identity theft.
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An excellent report on the timely subject of an identity thief. The psychological profile of the thief is revealing, and the writer does a great job of placing the thief within his upbringing and environment. The article has a subtle subtext of "easy-money-via-theft vs. hard-work-but-little-pay", which has broader societal significance.
A well documented case study involving online thievery. Its value comes from the multilevel analysis the investigators meticulously did: they present the legal issues, the technical aspects of this kind of modern fraud, an insight into Sharma's mindset that motivates him doing what he's been doing, the reactions of the victims, the process of catching him, the consequences upon his personal life and the ones upon his family. Good piece of investigation and also a warning sign for all the online newcomers or just unwitting "sitting ducks" that the credit card thieves are waiting for to fall in their Net.
This is an engrossing and informative look at the profile of an accomplished identity theft, one of the first to be discovered and prosecuted. Zeller takes his time to produce a revealing, well-sourced story on the subject and the phenomenon in general.
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