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.
According to Merriam Webster, identity theft is the illegal use of someone else's personal identifying information (such as a Social Security number) in order to get money or credit. Identity theft has been around ever since banking was introduced to the world, but did not become a federal offense until 1988. Before the Privacy Act was passed by Congress in 1974, people physically carried their social security numbers on them, so identity theft was just as easy as stealing an individual’s wallet. With a person’s social security number, a thief has access to the person’s social security benefits as well as other government services such as unemployment checks (Driscoll).
Today, with all the technology we have, it has become fairly easy for thieves to steal someone’s identity. One of the easiest ways for someone to steal your personal information is just by simply looking over a person’s shoulder as they insert personal information into a computer or an ATM machine. This process is known as shoulder surfing. According to ...

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...and cancel all credit cards, mac cards, and social security numbers. Identity theft can happen to anyone and everyone.

Works Cited
Driscoll, Sally. English, Marlanda. "Identity Theft: An Overview." Points of View: Identity Theft (2013): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
Eversley, Melanie, Hjelmgaard, Kim. “Target Confirms Massive Credit Card Data Breach.” USA Today, 19 December 2013. Web. 19 December 2013.
“Identity Theft.” merriam-webster.com. Web. 13 January 2014.
Newton, Alex K., and Heather Rich. ” People Must Be Vigilant in Protecting Their Identities." Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO, 2011. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
Whittaker, AnneDiLascio, Tracey M. "Counterpoint: Government Legislation Will Not Be Adequate In Eliminating Identity Theft." Points Of View: Identity Theft (2013): 3. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.