Essay On Identity Theft
Every minute, about nineteen people are victims of identity theft. In today’s society, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. Every year 9.9 million identities are stolen and it takes those victims an average of five hundred dollars and countless days to restore their good name and credit record. Victims could potentially lose out on job opportunities, or be denied loans for education, housing or cars because of negative information on their credit reports. In rare instances, victims could be arrested for crimes they did not commit. One may think the people who are committing identity theft are total strangers but studies have shown that people closest to one are the ones commonly committing this crime. In a study, 32% of identity
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First example is business record theft; thieves get information from businesses or institutions by stealing files out of offices or hack into the organization’s computer files where their victim is a customer, employee, patient or student. Shoulder surfing; is when an identity thief is standing next to someone, most of the time in a checkout line at a store, and memorizes the victims name, address and their phone number. Identity thieves also watch for their victim to punch in their phone or credit card numbers. Dumpster diving; is when thieves rummage through trash, or the trash of businesses, and landfills, in search for people’s personal data and information. Under the color of authority; thieves fraudulently obtain credit reports by abusing their employer's authorized access to credit reports, or by acting as landlords, employers or others who may have a legitimate need/right to the information. Lastly skimming; this when thieves steal one’s credit/debit card account numbers as their card is processed at a restaurant, store, gas station or other business location, using a special data collection device called a skimmer. These are the most commonly used methods by identity thieves but they can also easily steal your wallet or purse to obtain your information. Thieves can also send you fraudulently emails over the Internet or on other sites to receive personal information. (Fraud
First example is business record theft; thieves get information from businesses or institutions by stealing files out of offices or hack into the organization’s computer files where their victim is a customer, employee, patient or student. Shoulder surfing; is when an identity thief is standing next to someone, most of the time in a checkout line at a store, and memorizes the victims name, address and their phone number. Identity thieves also watch for their victim to punch in their phone or credit card numbers. Dumpster diving; is when thieves rummage through trash, or the trash of businesses, and landfills, in search for people’s personal data and information. Under the color of authority; thieves fraudulently obtain credit reports by abusing their employer's authorized access to credit reports, or by acting as landlords, employers or others who may have a legitimate need/right to the information. Lastly skimming; this when thieves steal one’s credit/debit card account numbers as their card is processed at a restaurant, store, gas station or other business location, using a special data collection device called a skimmer. These are the most commonly used methods by identity thieves but they can also easily steal your wallet or purse to obtain your information. Thieves can also send you fraudulently emails over the Internet or on other sites to receive personal information. (Fraud