Essay on 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.

1. Case Study:  “Don’t Let Crooks Steal Your Identity: How to Protect Yourself-and Your Credit Rating” (p. 225)

1. Tell the credit reporting company, in writing, what information you think is inaccurate. Credit reporting companies must investigate the items in question — usually within 30 days — unless they

2. Check your credit report – review your credit report to see if there are collection accounts you don’t recognize.

Keep all receipts for transactions. When you are reviewing your account statements, online or on paper, keep a close eye out for unauthorized transactions. If you notice any contact the institution in which the unauthorized transaction was made.

Reviewing your credit report helps you catch signs of identity theft early. By law, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from the three major bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. This site is the only official site authorized by federal law to provide them. Review your reports annually and look for any suspicious activity.

The government is actively involved in decreasing the amount of identity theft by providing the most effective tools to investigate and prosecute identity thieves. One of these tools is the Identity

Identity theft is the talk of the day with many victims suffering from its dire consequences. It has the means to ruin an individual 's life with being doubted in the near future when trying to accomplish anything that is credit and government related. It has sent many innocent people behind bars with accusations that are fraudulent and unnecessary. By a simple credit card number and social security number, the whole identity profile will be revealed in the eyes of criminal hacker whose main purpose is financial and benefit gain. They the social security numbers to open bank accounts and also uses the credit accounts to make purchases as their own. Identity theft hackers steal

Identity thieves are like vampires but instead of sucking your blood they suck up all of your money. “Bank officials found that in 5 days from the theft to when the missing checkbook was reported more than 3000 dollars in fraudulent purchases had occurred” (Gail 16). It is very important to always make sure you have your checkbook or at least have it in a safe spot because once a thief has it all they have to do is sign your name. “Anyone who uses another person's checkbook is guilty of identity theft. Unfortunately, check fraud is very common and very successful” (Gail 14). There is an average of 1.4 million fraudulent checks written in the US everyday, there is a pretty decent chance that one of those checks could be yours. Checks are not the only things thieves use to steal your money; thieves can also use your credit card or atm card.

The less sophisticated thieves have perfected the art of “dumpster-driving” rummaging through trash. Abusing employer’s authorized access to credit reports or some even playing ‘landlord’ has given them unauthorized access to victim’s reports. Some victims have been scammed fro information by an identity thief posing as a legitimate businessperson or government official. In the most recent news from Concord, NC (Aug. 19, 2004), the police have uncovered a more sophisticated case of ID theft. The newspapers stated, “Authorities think a portable credit card reader, or skimmer, was used to read personal information off a credit card’s magnetic strip. Then those details were applied to the strip on the back of a different cared.”

     In today's society, there is a white-collar crime that has greatly risen in popularity among criminals. This crime is identity theft. Hundreds of thousands of people have their identities stolen each year. Identity theft is when these criminals obtain and use consumers personal information such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, insurance information, and social security numbers to purchase goods or services fraudulently. According to the Federal Trade Commission, over 1.1 million people were the victim of identity theft. With this number, it is very evident that identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in our country. This paper will attempt to more thoroughly define identity theft. It will

First Contact your bank, your credit card company(s) and any other financial institution you are affiliated with and let them know that you think you are a victim.

1. Contact the fraud department at any of the three nationwide credit reporting companies and ask them to place a fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you before they open new accounts or make certain changes to an existing account.

In order to help avoid any unwanted situation, you must first completely understand the situation. Identity theft, as previously stated is when a criminal gets ahold of someone’s personal information and generally uses it to get into their bank accounts and steal money. Some of them get into your accounts and steal your money because they are drug or alcohol addicts and need a way to feed their addiction. However, there are many other reasons for why a criminal would want to get into your personal records and accounts. Sometimes, people can use identity theft for some sort of sick and twisted revenge method. For example, one man was upset at his ex-girlfriend and so he hacked into their personal information, stole photos of her and her daughter,

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