The study’s overarching aim is to understand the phenomenon of online identity theft and its societal and regulatory implications in the EU. It assesses the nature and scale of the identity theft problem in the EU, describing the prevalent criminal schemes and estimating the number of victims and costs. The study also maps and analyses current legislative, regulatory, and non-regulatory measures to combat online identity theft and identity-related crime across the 27 EU Member States. Based on this mapping it identifies best practices and possible gaps in the identified measures. The findings of the study supported the drafting of recommendations for future measures and actions at EU level.

The Study on Online Identity Theft and Identity Related Crime, conducted by ICF in collaboration with CSD, University of Trento and Victim Support Europe, broadens and deepens the understanding of the manifestation of these crimes in the EU. CSD's contribution includes quantitative and qualitative analysis of online identity theft and related crimes, as well as an assessment of the extent of the problem in the EU.

Thе report is available on the Publications Office of the EU website here.