College Students: Protect Yourself from Identity Theft In the Coloradoan Newspaper, Luanne Kadlub, a media relations manager at Better Business Bureau (BBB) emphasizes the importance for college students to learn how to protect their personal information from identity thieves. She demonstrates through statistics that the number of victims from 2010-2014 has increased. Kadlub illustrates that there were 8.1 million identity thefts in 2010. However, according to a study made by Javelin Strategy and Research, the number of victims increased to 12.7 million in 2014. In the article, she discusses different suggestions about how college students can protect their personal information from thieves. For instance, she says that students must be aware of the people who have access to their personal information. Moreover, Kadlub suggests having strong password and installing and anti-virus to protect …show more content…
Therefore, she says to college students to not carry their social security number or credit information everywhere. Finally, Kadlub says that if students feel like they have been victims of identity theft or if they are already, students need to contact their banks and the Federal Trade Commission to report their incident.
Even though we live in the era of technology and security programs that can protect our identity, it is interesting how the number of identity theft has increased through the years. I think that one of the reasons is because we have over used the technology in a bad way. I think that instead of use the technology to protect our personal information, we have been using it to share our information. In the reading, Luanne Kadlub says “Don’t publish birth date, email address, mother’s maiden name, pet’s name or other identifying
Identity theft is the stealing and use of someone’s personal information and is one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation (Dole, 2005). According to Federal Trade Commission estimates, identity thieves victimize approximately 10 million Americans every year at a cost of an astonishing $50 billion (2005). Identity theft has been going on for years now and is easily done with the help of today’s technology. According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are six common ways that identity thieves get a hold of personal information. The varieties of methods that are used are dumpster diving, skimming, phishing, changing the victim’s address, stealing, and pretexting (Federal Trade Commission). Once someone’s identity is stolen,
In recent years, the world has seen significant changes in technology. With new technology come new challenges. One of those new challenges is identity theft. Identity theft can happen through the internet, ATM, emails, or even a phone. Identity theft can happen when any person(s) takes an individual’s information, such as their Social Security number, or even banking information for financial gain. “Close to 100 million Americans have their personal information placed at risk of theft each year when records in databases are lost, stolen or accessed by unauthorized individuals” (Information systems and technology, n.d.). Identity theft not only costs the person, whose
In the age of cutting edge technology such as the world in which we live, easily obtainable information has turned out to be a mainstay in society. The days of instant-gratification are upon us and waiting for any length of time since the advent of the Internet has become unacceptable in the technological arena. Because information is so easily available, this gives pause to security and privacy of personal identifiable information. With headlines screaming Identity Theft the disadvantages are clear. No longer can users post whatever they are thinking, doing, wearing, etc. without the profound knowledge that each post is forever solidified forever on the World Wide Web for anyone with an Internet connection to access. Those with less technological knowledge have yet to grasp this concept and this unfortunately has caused harm to their personal lives and professional careers, in some cases.
The number of people that have experienced identity theft has been increasing rapidly. Identity theft is when one’s personal information, including social security number, credit card number or even name is stolen and is used for economic gain. A person’s identity could be taken at any time or place, and it could happen without them knowing about it. Once a person’s identity has been stolen, there are not many things they can do about it, and resolving it might take a couple months, if not years. According to “Fending Off Identity Fraud” by Danielle Britni, in 2012 alone, 16.6 million Americans were victims of some type of identity theft. In this article, the author explains multiple ways of protecting one’s identity, as well as a way of keeping
“Big data breaches of identity theft increased nearly 20 percent from last year and more than 10 million cases of Americans’ personal records being exposed or published have already been reported in 2014 – making it the most common consumer complaint in the U.S. According to The Bureau of Justice Statistics, 16.6 million American adults were victims of identity theft in 2012, while just 6.8 million total non-fatal violent crimes occurred in the same period. The same Justice Department report from December 2013 revealed that more than 34.2 million U.S. adults – 14 percent of all Americans over the age of 16 – had experienced some type of identity theft.” (Washington-CBS DC Report, July
When credit card fraud is committed, attackers may make fraudulent purchases under someone else’s identity. This poses a risk to an unsuspecting victims’ credit scores, personal bank accounts, and social standing. According to the Federal Trade Commission, there were 332,646 reported cases of identity theft in 2014. The state of Florida had the highest reported cases of identity theft nationwide (Mayfield, 2015). As a result of this crime, many individuals have to deal with recovering from compromised credit, finances, and personal status.
Although identity theft can occur in vast data breaches or theft from large companies, usually it is simply thieves acquiring personal information from the trash or even dishonesty among employees with individuals information (Kapoor, Dlabay, Hughes, 2014). When an individual has a suspicion that their information has been compromised, it is important to take the necessary steps to protect yourself from further damage and charges as well as protecting your future credit history (Kapoor et al., 2014).
Identity theft is the fastest growing fraud crime in America (Finklea, 2009). Gaining knowledge in preventing theft will better the economy and lower the crime rates in America. There are reported 9.9 million victims of identity theft and this number is increasing rapidly as the years go on. It has been reported that an estimate of fifty billion dollars has been charged to our consumers every year due to identity theft (Finklea, 2009).
After all, identity thieves only need a few key information to steal your identity. This information includes your full name, birthdate, hometown, school location, graduation
The constant evolution of technology has led to the expansion of a crime that feeds on the inability of consumers to control who has access to sensitive information and how it is safeguarded. That crime is identity theft. Identity theft causes financial damage to consumers, creditors, retail establishments, and the economy as a whole. The Identity Theft Policy of NFBS is designed to reasonably detect red flags, respond to red flags, and prevent and protect account holders from identity theft. The firm has designated Mark EstepSusan Martin as the Identity Theft Protection Officer. Please see the AML, Consumer Information Privacy, and Prohibited Acts sections of this manual for more information about customer privacy, customer identification, money laundering, and respective red flags.
In today's society, there is a white-collar crime that has greatly risen in popularity among criminals. This crime is identity theft. Hundreds of thousands of people have their identities stolen each year. Identity theft is when these criminals obtain and use consumers personal information such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, insurance information, and social security numbers to purchase goods or services fraudulently. According to the Federal Trade Commission, over 1.1 million people were the victim of identity theft. With this number, it is very evident that identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in our country. This paper will attempt to more thoroughly define identity theft. It will
In today's society, there is a white-collar crime that has greatly risen in popularity among criminals. This crime is identity theft. Hundreds of thousands of people have their identities stolen each year. Identity theft is when these criminals obtain and use consumers personal information such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, insurance information, and social security numbers to purchase goods or services fraudulently. According to the Federal Trade Commission, over 1.1 million people were the victim of identity theft. With this number, it is very evident that identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in our country. This paper will attempt to more thoroughly define identity theft. It will
Identity theft is on the rise in the United States and Globally. The Federal Trade Commission advised that there are about nine million cases of identity theft. People who had their identity stolen often feel like they were violated. Any individual can have their identity compromised in numerous ways. Different institutions store personal information. There are several organizations that have social security numbers, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers. Colleges and Universities have people personal information stored in their databases that could be hacked. There are several companies that offer options to people to protect their identity. Most credit card companies offer the option of identity
The United States Department of Justice defines Identity Theft and Fraud as, “… terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain” (U.S. Department of Justice, 2012). An individual’s personal data such as: Social Security number, bank account information, credit card numbers, or telephone calling card number¬ may be used by criminals to personally profit at your expense. In many cases, a victim's loss not only includes out-of-pocket financial losses, but substantial additional financial costs and time repairing and correcting credit histories and erroneous information. To assist with my research for this paper, I chose two books written from different perspectives. First, I sought out a book to provide a comprehensive review of identity theft history; methods used to steal identities, consequences of having your identity stolen, and prevention techniques from an individual or business perspective. Next, after developing a strong baseline on identity theft, I searched for a reference book which offers a comprehensive review of the concepts of computer crimes, relevant laws, and methods practiced by investigators to trace, capture and persecute identity theft