The Step Method - Battling Identity Theft Using E-Retailers' Websites

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the 21 century. This paper investigates firstly what well-known e-commerce organizations are communicating on their websites to address this issue. For this purpose we analyze secondary data (literature and websites of ten organizations). Secondly we investigate the good practice in this area and recommend practical steps. The key findings are that some organizations only publish minimum security information to comply with legal requirements. Others inform consumers on how they actively try to prevent identity theft, how consumers can protect themselves, and about supporting actions when identity theft related fraud actually happens. From these findings we developed the Support – Trust – Empowerment – Prevention (STEP) method. It is aimed at helping to prevent identity theft and dealing with consequences when it occurs. It can help organizations on gaining and keeping consumers’ trust which is so essential for e-retailers in a climate of rising fraud.