Essay On Identity Theft And Cyberstalking

Identity theft and cyberstalking are two exceedingly serious and utterly prevalent crimes that pose a great risk to today's society. "Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the United States. In 2013, someone became a victim of identity fraud every two minutes, totaling 13.1 million people" (Shin). "Almost 1.5 million people in the United States alone suffer from cyberstalking at least once every single year" (Gaille).

Identity theft is when "someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in a way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain" ("Identity Theft."). The reason in which identity theft is remarkably prevalent is because personal data is incredibly easy to obtain. Anyone is isn't terrifically cautious, verging on infeasibly vigilant could have their identity stolen.

There are various ways for identity thieves to acquire personal data. " In public places, criminals may engage in 'shoulder surfing',­ watching you from a nearby location as you punch in your telephone calling card number or credit card number, or [they may] listen in on your conversation if you give your credit-card number over the telephone to a hotel or rental car company" ("Identity Theft."). Identity theft also occurs when "you receive applications for 'pre-approved' credit cards in the mail, but discard

In a variation known as corporate cyberstalking, an organization stalks an individual. Corporate cyberstalking (which is not the same thing as corporate monitoring of e-mail) is usually initiated by a high-ranking company official with a grudge, but may be conducted by any number of employees within the organization. Less frequently, corporate cyberstalking involves an individual stalking a corporation.