In order to explain what Identity Theft is some terminology is needed. Identity in this scope is personal information that is used to identify an individual, such as an individual’s name, social security number, birthdate, etc. A person who steals someone else’s identity is called the victimizer, and the person whose identity was stolen is called the victim. Identity theft happens when a victimizer acts as someone else, the victim, uses the victim’s personal information and acts as the victim to set up accounts using the victim’s identity. Some of the account types used in identity theft are credit card accounts, bank accounts, utility accounts (water, gas, electric, etc.), hospital accounts, any type of personal account that could be created can be used in identity theft. Most times when identity theft is brought up all that is covered is ways victimizers can take your identity to incur the victim debt, but that is not the only case, you can also become a victim of identity theft in other ways. There are reports of people (victims) who have had their identity stolen on social media, a victimizer steals photos of the victim and uses their name to set up an account in the victim’s name, and uses their image to act as them. This form of identity theft can be damaging in different ways, as it can ruin the victim’s reputation. The most common form of identity theft is the type when the victimizer uses the victim’s identity to run up debt in the victim’s name/identity, which can be very damaging, not only does the victim have incurred debt from the victimizer, they may run into financial trouble by having their wages garnished, and other such problems that cause them to get behind on their normal bills. Identity theft can ruin the vict... ... middle of paper ... ...ture victimization as well as trying to restore what was lost and to set things right. The first step would be to notify the police to have a police report made. After that has been taken care of notify insurance companies, banks and credit institutions. Once the credit institutions have been notified have a hold put on all accounts. Have new credit cards, bank cards, and checks issued with different numbers on them. Submit and complete a credit fraud report which should be sent to the credit bureaus. Identity theft is a growing crime. Around eight million people become the victims of identity theft in the world each year, about twenty two thousand of them are people who live in the United States. There are many ways in which a person can become a victim of identity theft, learn the ways that have been used in the past as they will probably be used in the future.
According to news reports and recent studies, children are at higher risk for identity theft than adults, infants and youth have become greater targets to criminals in the growing trends of this catastrophic crime. Identity theft is a crime of which is difficult for an adult to recover from and get their life back after falling victim, much less an infant, child, or even teenager.
Consequently, many people believe identity theft will never happen to them. If someone is not aware of how serious identity theft can be, they can make mistakes that make them vulnerable to identity theft. There are, however, three very important ways to prevent identity theft from occurring. By keeping financial papers secure, keeping track of who you’re giving your personal and financial information, and protect online information as well.
In modern days, there is a type of crime that is growing very fast. It has become a very popular crime because it’s easily done, and it doesn’t leave a big trace, whether the crime is successful or not. The crime in question is Identity theft. Identity theft is a crime that involves a person or group pretending to be someone else for their own personal wants. The criminals use personal financial information such as social security number, bank and card information, your address and other personal information. According to the Insurance Information Institute, 15.4 million U.S. consumers have been victim to this crime, amounting to a loss of $16 billion, making it the most growing crime
Javelin Strategy & Research released an identity fraud study in 2017. It found that $16 billion was stolen from 15.4 million U.S. consumers in the 2016 year. This compares to $15.3 billion and 13.1 million victims a year prior. Over the last six years over $107 billion has been stolen by identity fraud. So what is identity theft and how can you prevent yourself from falling prey to this growing crime?
Identity Theft is a severe and important issue that needs more recognizing than is currently has now. Identity Theft is when mean people go around and try to steal your Identity. If they are successful and have stolen your identity they can buy items and you will be charged. They can also ruin your credit history and reputation with your Identity. Identity theft happens every day and many people are affected daily. If your identity gets stolen it may take years to get all your stuff back. It may even cost you money to fix it! This will tell you everything you need to know about Identity Theft and hopefully we can put a stop to it.
Today Identity Theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States. The Federal Trade Commission, identity theft victim complaint database currently contains more than three hundred thousand complaints. American consumers reported losing over one billion dollars to fraud overall in 2014, according to the Federal Trader Commissions annual report on consumer complaints released earlier this year, with the average cost ranging between five hundred dollars to two thousand dollars per victim (Federal Trade Commission, 2014). According to the 2011 Identity Fraud Survey Report, approximately eight million adults in the United States were victims of identity theft with the total cost of thirty seven billion dollars (Britz, 2013). The Federal Trade commission strongly urges people to take action in protecting themselves from Identity Theft because everyone is at risk of this rapidly growing crime no matter your age, race, gender or current financial situation. Identity Theft when a illegitimate person gains access to your personal information, such as your Social Security number, credit card account information, your mother's maiden name, your driver's license number, and other important information to impersonate someone. When the criminal has gained the information they need, they have the ability opens credit accounts, cellphone accounts, and other types of credit based accounts in your name. In addition once a person’s information is stolen the criminal then has the ability to access current accounts that is possessed, leading to even further damage to personal finance and credit.
Identity theft refers to unlawful activities which specifically compromise another person’s identity. According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), identity theft is an activity “in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.” Such personal data can include names, Social Security numbers, birthdates, bank accounts, credit card numbers, or medical records. Identity theft can also be part of or enable other types of crimes such as bank, credit card, document, employment, or immigration fraud; robbery; and burglary, for example (Finklea, 2010, p. 2). Identity theft exists on a continuum with simple unauthorized credit card charges on one end all the way to having one’s identity completely assumed by another.
How common is identity theft? It is the top consumer fraud complaint. There are an estimated 500-750 thousand victims per year. Different types of fraud that are included in the identity theft crime are identification fraud; credit card fraud; computer fraud; mail fraud; wire fraud; and financial institution fraud. One of the ways this crime can occur is by social security number, they assume an identity, make fraudulent credit charges, get loans, open bank accounts, write bad checks on your account, and commit crimes in a person?s name. Some of the ways thieves get some data is by wallet (you may have left behind), mailbox, or garbage; from insecure financial transactions completed over the Internet; from information left on machines in public; wireless technology such as cell phones; beepers; etc., and some will go so far as going through people?s trash.
Identity theft is an increasing epidemic. Some of the ways a person can commit identity
Identity theft is a serious crime where a thief obtains your personal information, such as your social security number, to commit fraud. Identity theft has become a growing issue in today 's society, especially with today 's advanced technology. Research done by Javelin strategy concludes that nearly 12 million Americans have been victims of identity theft in 2011. The statistics of identity theft show an increase of thirteen percent over 2010. The numbers are increasingly growing as the years go by. Approximately seven percent of adults have their identity stolen, resulting in at least $3,500 in losses. Identity thieves develop cagey methods to steal identities like stealing wallets, mail, and phone calls that lure people into giving out their
Identity theft is when someone steals your personal information and use it without permission which can damage your finances credit history and reputation.
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.
III. Thesis Statement: Identity Theft is rapidly becoming a national issue because anyone of us could be a victim of identity theft. How we protect our self, keep our information private, identify any signs of identity theft, and report and repair our credit is up to each one of us. We have to be vigilant about our protecting ourselves from criminals.
In conclusion, identity theft is illegal, unethical and very dangerous to the victim. This is because identity theft can cause a lot of financial and reputation damage to the victim and his/her family. It is a shame that there are so many cases of this crime in the world today. Having said all of this, it is really important to prevent identity theft by being careful of your actions. However, as technology is advancing, it is becoming more and more harder to do so. Due to this fact, it is important for each individual to know what identity theft is and what they can do to prevent it from happening. After this is accomplished, identity theft will be minimized and this world will be a better and safer place.
America,” (Weidenfeld 1). Being the number one crime, identity theft is very dangerous. If your