Strangers: Identity Theft and Identity Fraud

Merriam-Webster defines identity theft as the illegal use of someone else 's personal identifying information (such as a Social Security number) in order to get money or credit. The United States Department of Justice says identity theft is, “The short answer is that identity theft is a crime. Identity theft and identity fraud are 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.” While both definitions incorporate the simplicity of the word, the actual act of identity theft takes on many more forms and requires a more thorough description.

There is no “sure” way to stop identity theft from happening to someone. There are only measures that may make it harder for thieves to steal someone’s identity because nothing is foolproof. People can shred their important documents after they’re done with them to help prevent their identity to be stolen via dumpster diving, but the thief may find all the shreds and put them together just like a puzzle. The odds of this happening are slim, but there is still a chance, a chance lower than just throwing it out. People should make sure to not use ATMs and not to do personal banking in public, but this will only slow down a thief who is determined to steal someone’s identity. Once a thief is determined to steal someone’s identity and only their identity, there are not many obstacles stopping him/her.

You will notice when checks start bouncing or a collection agency begin calling you. The good thing is the damage isn 't so much in dollars,since the financial institution are liable for the unauthorized charges. You wil also notice when you can 't get approved for a mortgage or a job, and the countless phone calls and paperwork you 'll need to go through to set the records straight. You will also notice when you are applying for credit somewhere and they will not approve you when you know that you have great credit score. There are also unauthorized credit or debit card purchases, getting unexpected credit approvals, unprompted collections letters that you have no idea about. Also someone can hack into your email to see if you have any information in it.Also if you have an account that has been flagged warning it means that it is something odd on your account and they will flag it as a warning to let you know. A crook can also even get into your mailbox and get your mail, when you are expecting something and you know that it should have been here by now. You may even have someone to use your medical information, because they don 't have any to take care of there own problems. Your identity can even be stolen when someone has committed a crime and use your name and get a surprising arrest warrant for no reason. There are so many ways for crooks ro come up with things.

Identity theft is a type of fraud that involves using someone else's identity to steal money or gain other benefits. as of yet,

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

In American society, there a fast growing white-collar crime that is becoming more and more popular among criminals. This white collar crime is call identity theft. Thousands of people have their identities stolen every year. Identity theft happen when criminals get a hold and use other people persona information such as credit card numbers, bank accounts numbers, insurance information and social security number to purchase good and other services fraudulently. More than 9 million American are victimizes by identity theft each year. With this number being so high it is evident that identity theft is one of the fast- growing crimes to hit the United State. Three reason why identify theft if being such a fast- growing crime in the United State is because more people credit card information is being stolen, more people are shopping online and more medical information is being stolen.

Identity theft has been a problem facing police departments recently. It is a crime in which someone obtains and uses another person's personal information in a way that involves fraud. In the United States and Canada, for example, many people have reported that unauthorized people have taken money out of their bank. In 1998 Congress made identity theft a federal offense to therefore create stricter penalties for these criminals.

Identity theft is a fast growing white-collar crime that is gaining the notoriety of an epidemic. There is a wealth of information on identity theft and prevention yet this area of crime is developing rapidly and is shrouded in myths.

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

Identity Theft is the use of another person's personal information to commit fraud. They can take the person’s name, social security number, credit card number or even your driver's license number.”The thief may also open telephone and utility accounts, take out loans, rent an apartment, or buy a car. In most cases, the thief fails to pay bills for items and services bought in the victim’s name” ("Identity Theft). They can retain the information by stealing mail or wallets. Application theft occurs when the theft opens a bank account or credit cards in another person's name. Victims are usually unaware of the problem for months, they often use addresses from other places. The other type of identity theft is account takeover, this occurs when the theft receives access to the victim's existing bank account or credit card. Due to legal protections, victims of identity theft usually do not have to pay back the charges created by the identity theft. However, actions like this can damage your credit score dramatically. It is recommended that you check your credit reports often. Since the growth of cell phones, there has been an increase in identity theft. Identity theft can result in a threat to a victim's personal safety. A most recent study wanted to determine how cell phone use is affected by attitudes toward privacy and identity theft. The research questions concerned the extent to which participants

To acquire someone’s identity, they might have a device to steal information or go “dumpster diving.” An identity thieves may out skimming devices to steal information from a person without them realizing it. As for dumpster divers, people will throw away mail with account numbers or other personal information on it and someone will come right behind them and find that mail.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. It is said to affect 9 million Americans annually. A few ways that you can protect yourself from identity theft would be to shred any papers that have any of your personal information on them. This would include cash register reciepts, pre-approved credit card offers and even your cell phone bill. It is really sad that these people that steal your identity go through the trash just to get information. Be aware of any networking sites that has your full name and date of birth on it. Use a nick name and let your friends know what you have chosen. Make sure that you log out of any program that has access to your private information. If you are using a shared computer

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

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).

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