Identity theft is the fraudulent acquistion and use of a person private identifying information, usually for finacial gain. Identity theft can happen to anyone, it can happen several different ways. A lost or stolen wallet which has personal information in it, credit cards, mail that has been thrown away, and over the internet. Your personal information can also be stolen from stores you shop at, your doctors office, or even your childrens school. Identity theft can cause problems upon a person such as financial problems, credit issues, problems with the law, and legal problems. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. Over nine million people have been victims. This problem needs to be solved because there are millions of people in the United States whose lives ruined from this crime. The reasons people commit identity theft are because of the easy money and revenge motives. Unemployed people can use a persons identity to open accounts or steal money from accounts. A person could have an enemy that can destroy your identity just to cause problems in your life because they do not like you for personal reasons. Criminals can also use your …show more content…
People need to be educated about this crime. Identity theft is growing daily. There are young children already having there identity tarnished because of their careless actions. One problem is people trust the internet for everything. Teens and adults will put their personal information on the internet for the entire world to see.. It is not only the youths fault but its also the parents fault for being careless and allowing youth to have such free access to the internet without proper monitoring. People need to be more strict and educate their children on what to disclose on the internet. There are millions of computer hackers and criminal websites waiting for the right opportunity to commit this type of
Identity theft is when someone, without the consent of the owner, dishonestly uses, or intends to fraudulently use another individual’s personal identity. Personal identifying information can consist of an individual’s name, date of birth, driver’s license number, mother’s maiden name, state identification number, telephone number and other personal information that
Identity theft is a type of fraud that involves using someone else's identity to steal money or gain other benefits. as of yet,
Becoming the victim of identity theft is never something that is a pleasant experience. Along with the fear regarding the actual event, there is also the aftermath that must be considered. It can sometimes take years to completely see the full effects of identity theft, but by learning more about the different types, it is much easier to get started making repairs.
The government is working very hard to fight against identity theft. Congress passed the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act to help people who have been a victim of identity theft. This act helps to prosecute suspects that have committed crimes dealing with identity theft. Suspects can get anywhere from 15 to 30 years when it comes to identity theft. Identity theft includes credit card fraud, identification fraud, computer fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, or financial institution fraud. Not only do these suspects go to prison, but they have to pay the money back, and anything that is gained in the while committing the crime will be seized. The government works very hard with other agencies to help prosecute crimes that involve identity
Identity Theft is the assumption of a person’s identity in order to obtain credit cards from back account and retailers; the crime varies from stealing money from existing bank accounts; renting apartments or storage units; applying for loans or establishing accounts using another’s name (legal dictionary, 2007). Identity theft and identity fraud are terms that are often used
Before 1998, identity theft crimes were charged under statutes that dated back to the 19th century. These were called false personation statutes. False personation can be defined as assuming the identity of someone else in order to personally benefit or to keep from paying an expense.(2) Obviously these statutes were very outdated and needed to address more current threats of identity theft that were not around when they were written. In 1998, Congress passed the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, this law featured four major details; identity theft became a
Introduction: Your heart pounding, hands shaking, body quivering. To the regular public, this may sound like a medical emergency. But, to identity theft victims, it’s their lives shattered, pieces broken! Identity Theft includes the utilization of another person’s valuable information such as driver’s license number, social security number, and even social media passwords. Such a crime impacts someone’s finances and even reputation.
Have you ever received a credit card bill at the end of the month with a ridiculous amount of money needed to be paid that you never spent? This is because of identity theft. The FTC estimates that each year, over 9 million people are affected by identity theft. According to Sally Driscoll, this is because almost anyone with a computer and a slight bit of computer knowledge can pull off identity theft. Experts also claim that identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the world. Identity theft is a global problem that cannot be stopped without effective measures. The problem is, effective measures are very hard to come by when dealing with identity theft because almost any security protocol can be by-passed.
Identity theft is when someone other than you, steals your personal information for illegal gains while pretending to be you. Thus, using someone else’s identity can seriously affect someone’s lively hood, business, job opportunities, and reputation,
By definition “Identity theft n. the dishonest acquisition of personal information in order to perpetrate fraud, typically by obtaining credit, loans, etc., in someone else's name; fraud perpetrated in this way. ” (dictionary.oed.com, 2007). It’s estimated that 9 million Americans have had their identities stolen each year. “According to the Secret Service, its investigations show a jump in potential losses due to identity theft, from $851 million in 1998 to $1.4 billion in 2000.” add citation from how stuff works There are many ways that thieve steal your identity, they may go through your trash, steal your wallet or purse. I will discuss a lot of the different ways in more
Identity theft affects millions of Americans every day. Scam artists and hackers lay in wait for an unsuspecting person to get caught up their scheme through ignorance or naivety so they can take full advantage of their personal information to do as they desire with it. Problem is, it infiltrates and depreciates the integral infrastructure of our society which creates a cultural lapse through the declination of economic and cultural growth and double jeopardizes an already unstable system to the brink of its destruction. To understand how
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
The internet has become a part of every day life, in fact for many it is their life. You can meet other people, play games, do research, communicate with loved ones half way across the country, and now you can even shop and bank online.
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).
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