Identify Theft
Introduction
I. Attention Grabber Research has shown that identity theft has become the fastest evolving crime according to the Ou Police Department Website. There were over nine million Americans on average that have had their identity stolen each and every year.
II. Thesis
According to the FBI.gov websites says that Identity theft has become a very common crime in today’s society, but there are many ways to avoid identity theft by understanding what it is, how it happens, and what you can do to prevent it.
Body
I. What is Identity Theft?
A. When an unauthorized person gains access to:
1. Your full name
2. Your social security number
3. Birthday
4. Driver’s license/phone number/ mailing address
5. Credit card information
Being a victim of identity theft myself, I know the struggles of dealing with this topic. The credit card companies are at fault because of their lack of security when it comes to credit card usage and existing information. Credit card fraud is the easiest to commit and the most common. The Bureau of Justice did a study in 2007 with 7.9 billion people surveyed on how many households with at least one member of the household has been a victim of identity theft. The statistics showed that existing credit card theft increased from 2005 to 2007 by 31% and with 6.6% of people, being
According to Javelin Strategies, a prominent research firm that often reports of identity theft, incidences
There is a thief that lurks around us everyday; this thief can attack in brad day light or in the darkest hour, and just about anywhere you may find yourself. This thief has the power to act in your name, make unlimited purchases, open up credit accounts and ruin your good name and credit all in the matter of seconds; if you are vulnerable enough, you might become his next victim. In many cases all he needs is your name and a social security number, and he has enough information to make you his next victim; if you don’t believe me then ask the millions of Americans that became victim’s, or just ask me. The thief that I am talking about is identity theft. Identity theft is a
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.
Identity theft is a significant problem to both citizens and financial institutions. The FTC estimates that over 27.3 million Americans have been the victims of identity theft in the past five years. The
My Mom was actually just recently a victim of identity theft, a couple weeks ago she got a call from her bank questioning some charges that had been made in New Jersey around the same times she had made charges in Toledo, where we live. Obviously my Mom told them they were fraudulent charges because she’s never been to New Jersey so the bank put a freeze on her account. They think someone had gotten her account number by putting a magnetic strip at a gas pump she had used somewhere. It took about a week for her to get everything straightened out, she had to cancel her card as well so it took 10 days for her to get a replacement..it was a big hassle.
“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation” (Oscar Wilde). This quote illustrates how in our world, a person’s identity can be easily changed. Many Americans are effected by this problem today. Citizens, criminals, and the government all play a role in this process. However, many disagree as to whether identity theft should be allowed in our country. Based on the history of identity theft and relationships between American citizens, the government, and this issue, identity theft should be abolished in America.
Our government is doing a better job of assisting citizens when it comes to identity theft but there is much more to do. Below are my findings.
One reason identify theft is being a fast growing crime in the United State is because; more people credit card information is being stolen. Around 10% of American has fallen victims to credit card theft. Around 7% of Americans have been victim of debit or ATM fraud and 12% of the fraud was on internet websites and 10 % was on the telephone. One example of identity theft was eighteen months after moving in with his fiancée Joe Tremba begain to receive collection letter about past due credit card account that have been given to a collection agency. Tremba who always pays his bills on time was
7 percent of all U.S. residents aged 16 and older were victims of identity theft, thats 17.6 million persons. Out of the 17.6 million people, about 8.6 million people had their stolen credit card info used or an attempt was made to use the info in various ways. Which is up 7.7 million victims in 2012. Females were targeted more than males (9.2 million vs. 8.3 million). By race percentages of group targeted were White ( 13,264,100, or 8%), Hispanics/Latinos ( 1,789,800, or 4.9%), Black/African American ( 1,407,700 or 4.7%). The largest age bracket hit was 50-64 year olds ( 5,061,100
Many people do not realize how easily criminals can obtain our personal data without having to break into our homes. The most common ways to commit Identity Theft is:
Identity theft is the fastest growing fraud crime in America (Finklea, 2009). Gaining knowledge in preventing theft will better the economy and lower the crime rates in America. There are reported 9.9 million victims of identity theft and this number is increasing rapidly as the years go on. It has been reported that an estimate of fifty billion dollars has been charged to our consumers every year due to identity theft (Finklea, 2009).
A. Summary: Now that you are armed with more knowledge of how to protect yourself, and take action, you can make identity thieves’ jobs more difficult.
Identity theft affects millions of Americans every day. Scam artists and hackers lay in wait for an unsuspecting person to get caught up their scheme through ignorance or naivety so they can take full advantage of their personal information to do as they desire with it. Problem is, it infiltrates and depreciates the integral infrastructure of our society which creates a cultural lapse through the declination of economic and cultural growth and double jeopardizes an already unstable system to the brink of its destruction. To understand how
The United States Department of Justice defines Identity Theft and Fraud as, “… terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain” (U.S. Department of Justice, 2012). An individual’s personal data such as: Social Security number, bank account information, credit card numbers, or telephone calling card number¬ may be used by criminals to personally profit at your expense. In many cases, a victim's loss not only includes out-of-pocket financial losses, but substantial additional financial costs and time repairing and correcting credit histories and erroneous information. To assist with my research for this paper, I chose two books written from different perspectives. First, I sought out a book to provide a comprehensive review of identity theft history; methods used to steal identities, consequences of having your identity stolen, and prevention techniques from an individual or business perspective. Next, after developing a strong baseline on identity theft, I searched for a reference book which offers a comprehensive review of the concepts of computer crimes, relevant laws, and methods practiced by investigators to trace, capture and persecute identity theft