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Research Paper On Identity Theft

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Identity theft is a common crime in the United States today. It happens when people are not careful of their personal information. Millions of people are victims if Identity theft. According to consumer.gov Identity theft happens when someone uses information about you without your permission. Identity thieves could use a wide variety of information such as your name and address, credit card or bank account numbers, Social Security number and medical insurance account number. It is such as serious crime because you will be responsible for what the thief does while using your personal information. They can obtain a new credit card under your name and buy things with your credit card. It is important to know how to keep your sensitive information safe and know how Identity theft works in today’s society to prevent yourself from …show more content…

There are also ATM’s in every corner you see. Identity thieves are becoming more technological. They can steal your credit and debit card information just by inserting your card when you pay or want to use the ATM. One way they can steal your credit card information without you even realizing is using a Skimmer device. According to pcmag.com, “Skimmers are essentially malicious card readers that grab the data off the card's magnetic strip attached to the real payment terminals so that they can harvest data from every person that swipes their cards.” Identity thieves can place these skimmers in any ATM or credit card reader and they don’t prevent them from functioning properly. Some places this could happen are at gas stations, outdoor ATM’s, or grocery stores. Some tips for chances to avoid a skimmer are to use cash whenever possible. Some indoor ATM’s are safer than outdoor ones. . The ATMs inside banks are generally safer because of all the cameras. It would be unlikely for thieves to install a skimmer inside a bank with all the cameras inside the

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