New Growing Trend: Identity Theft

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Whether you have been a victim of identity theft or not, the author of the article “Identity Theft Is a Growing Danger” has educated a neutral audience about the different ways identities are stolen. Overall, the article used pathos effectively to support the identity theft claim by capturing quotes from actual identity theft victims and the author utilized scare tactics to inform the neutral audience about the various ways that identity theft can happen and to help protect their identity on and offline. Based on the article, scare tactics were used to heighten awareness about identity theft, the author wrote about educating on the growing danger of identity theft using a pathos approach, and the article was effective by listing out all the various ways to protect identity on and offline.
Consumers need to be educated on the fact that identity theft can be stolen from social media websites, emails, or even after a death. After gaining access, hackers can obtain a wealth of personal information from social media websites like Facebook and Twitter. Another popular way for identity thieves to operate is through ‘phishing’ scams. Flamini reported for fiscal year 2011, that over 51 percent of victims were targeted through ‘phishing’ scams. ‘Phishing’ scams try to acquire personal information through emails. Some clues to help identify ‘phishing’ emails could be hyperlinks in an email, spelling and bad grammar, and spoofing popular websites or companies. “From 2000 and 2010, cyber-attacks increase in scope and frequency. Little progress has been made in developing safeguards” (Flamini, "Improving Cybersecurity."). Another theft with a frightening twist is after a family member’s death identity theft can be left for the family to burd...

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...to be protected from identity theft. Kirchheimer’s education on the growing trend of identity theft seems to have a key role in protecting everyone’s identity in the future. Finally, Kichheimer’s goal is to educate the general public in regards to identity theft, whichever the approach may be pathos or scare tactics, an effective article will show various ways to protect identities on and offline.

Works Cited

Flamini, Roland. "Improving Cybersecurity." CQ Researcher 15 Feb. 2013: 157-80. Web. 21 Dec. 2013.
Kirchheimer, Sid. "Identity Theft Is a Growing Danger." Identity Theft. Ed. Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "'They Stole My Name!' Each Year Identity Thieves Target 11 Million Americans. Here's What You Can Do to Protect Yourself." Saturday Evening Post (Jan.-Feb. 2011). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Dec. 2013.

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