The Threat Of Identity Theft

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.

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

According to Sabol (1998), “The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, makes identity theft a federal offense, gives victims’ the rights, and means to be compensated for their losses. Under the new federal law individuals who suffer identity theft are recognized as victims, can obtain police reports, and have the right to be compensated by their perpetrators.' Additionally, the new law mandates stricter punishments for the imposters who steal the identities of innocent consumers.” (pg. 165).

During this project, the question arose; who is or has been the biggest winner of identity theft? In the few rare cases involving identity theft where a perpetrator was caught, the culprits in the following cases were identified. And the runner up in the game of identity theft is: Albert Gonzales who in 2008 stole 30 million credit and bank card numbers, hacked several corporate data bases and stole over $200 million. And our grand prize winner is: Philip Cummings who in 2002 obtained 15,000 consumer’s identities and hacked a credit reporting agency. He stole $2.7 million. (Graphs.net). While there is no clear solution to prevent being a victim of identity theft, a person can only take precautions, be aware of their surroundings, monitor

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

Dr. Deming, identity theft is when someone steals your personal information such as your social security number or name (Brown, DeHayes, Hoffer, Martin & Perkins, 2012). Once the theft obtains one’s information, one uses it to create a fraudulent documents such as credit applications, income taxes, and other items. These actions can damage your credit and it cost one money and time to restore their name to good status. There are different type of identity theft that can occur. Those are: child, tax, medical, senior, or social theft (Kess, Grimaldi, Revels, 2017). When clearing your name of identity theft, one must contact each vendor where fraudulent activity has occurred. Also, one must report it to the proper law enforcement and the federal

Identity theft is at an all time high in America. In fact, in 2012 alone victims throughout America suffered approximately $24.7 billion in both direct and in-direct losses (DiGangi, 2013). That amount of loss nearly doubled what was accumulated in other types of theft such as burglary, property theft, and auto theft. These cases of identity theft and data breaches have became so common today that most do not even pay close attention when a new case is mentioned. However, the effort to eliminate the threat before it occurs is ever important when dealing with a phantom like enemy.

Identity theft occurs when one’s personally identifiable information (PII) is used, without one’s permission or knowledge, for fraudulent purposes. Identity theft can be a cyber-crime or it can be accomplished by dumpster diving . These methods have popular in the United States over the years. An Identity thief or hacker can use one’s PII in different ways. Social engineering (Module6, 2016) is a common way in which a person can have their identity stolen. The person that is attempting to get your information is relying on the suspected victim to go against normal protocol. Although, there are measures that can be taken to protect one’s PII, a person still needs to use daily precautions. Everyone is at risk of having their identity stolen in one way or another. Falling victim to identity theft is difficult to recover from. There are numerous resources that offer assistance with the recovery process.

of identity theft rose to 6.4 million. Data from 2008 found that 11. 7 million families were victims of one or more type of identity theft, 53 % of the victims were credit card fraud. In 2010 8.6 million families were victims of identity theft. Roughly 16.5 million residents in 2012 experienced identity theft with 85% of the identity theft involving the fraudulent use of credit card and financial account information. In 2014 approximately 17.5 million residents of the United States were victims of identity theft with an increase of 2.6 million elderly victims (see Figures 1and 2) (Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS),

In recent years, our government has taken great measures to protect our nation’s security against identity thieves here in our country as well as our national security against foreign attackers. Not only do we face challenges

It’s a good life. I’m married, I have a good job, lovely kids, and nothing to worry about. The daily routine is pretty simple. I get out of bed, go to work, come back home, and the repeat. Turns out that this particular day wasn’t as simple as it normally is. On my way to work, I notice that my gas tank was low so I stopped by the gas station to fill up. After I swiped my card to pay for the gas, the screen had a message saying, “Card Declined.” This couldn’t have been right because I do all my payments. I enter the store in the gas station and complain to the man at the desk that this was some sort of mistake. At the end of the argument, I end up getting my card cut in half by the man at the counter and bolted out of the door with extreme anger.

Identity theft is a difficult crime to commit, but it is not impossible. In so many ways, society has been allowed to determine the outcome for ourselves and others. Society is guilty of committing identity theft against individuals. It is no longer I choose who I become, or where I belong, instead society tells you where you belong based on what you are. Hiebert addresses the social constructs which have been built based on not only social factors, but also biological factors. Hiebert states, "In large measure, we are who our society says we are." Society says what we are, not who we are. Identity is not based upon race, gender, or social status, it is based on who we choose to be when society does not want to accept who we are, or what we believe; Our identities are not what make us similar to other people, but it those qualities and attributes that make us different from them.

The government is actively involved in decreasing the amount of identity theft by providing the most effective tools to investigate and prosecute identity thieves. One of these tools is the Identity

Identity theft involves the unlawful taking of someone’s possessions for taking using the addresses and DOB without authorised access. Once someone else gets your information they are enabled to do many different things with your personal information. It usually happens when a hacker accesses a large amount of information about someone’s identity. A lot of common crimes which are usually got to do with identity theft are bank fraud and credit card fraud. Identity thieves can also do other stuff for example enter and exist countries using your personal information and cyber-crimes. Some consequences businesses and people face for identity are that you’ll be fined for sent to prison for long time.

     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