Identity theft is a term 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. Unlike your fingerprints, which are unique to you and cannot be given to someone else for their use, your personal data ¬ especially your Social Security number, your bank account or credit card number, your telephone calling card number, and other valuable identifying data ¬ can be used, if they fall into the wrong hands, to personally profit at your expense (Weisman).
Over the last few years, the number of reported cases of identity theft has skyrocketed, from 86,000 reported cases in 2001 to over 10,000,000 in 2005 (Weisman).
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(Some credit card companies, when sending credit cards, have adopted security measures that allow a card recipient to activate the card only from his or her home telephone number but this is not yet a universal practice (Weisman).) Also, if your mail is delivered to a place where others have ready access to it, criminals may simply intercept and redirect your mail to another location.
In recent years, the Internet has become an appealing place for criminals to obtain identifying data, such as passwords or even banking information (Borrus). In their haste to explore the exciting features of the Internet, many people respond to "spam" ¬ unsolicited E-mail ¬ that promises them some benefit but requests identifying data, without realizing that in many cases, the requester has no intention of keeping his promise. In some cases, criminals reportedly have used computer technology to obtain large amounts of personal data. With enough identifying information about an individual, a criminal can take over that individual's identity to conduct a wide range of crimes: for example, false applications for loans and credit cards, fraudulent withdrawals from bank accounts, fraudulent use of telephone calling cards, or obtaining other goods or privileges which the criminal might be denied if he were to use his real
Identity theft is a type of fraud, it is the deliberate use of someone else's identity. Most commonly to gain money or obtain credit and other benefits in the victim’s name. The victim whose identity has been stolen may suffer consequences such as being held responsible for the offender's actions. Identity theft occurs when someone uses someone else’s identifying information (such as their name, credit card number, passport, etc.) without their permission.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), almost 18 million Americans were victims of identity theft crimes in 2014. In fact, the most common kind of identity theft during this year was the attempted unauthorized use of existing financial accounts. Identity theft crimes are very serious, but there are actually different ways that criminals attempt to misrepresent their victims.
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes statistically according to the Federal Trade Commission. Roughly 27.3 million Americans have fallen victim to this form of theft/fraud. According to last year the loss of money for businesses and financial institutions are in the billions and with consumers out of pocket expenses has been about 5 billion dollars. "Identity theft" refers to crimes in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data (i.e., name, date of birth, social security number, driver's license number, and your financial identity— credit card, bank account and phone-card numbers) in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain (to obtain money or
Identity theft is when a criminal gets hold of your personal information. For example bank account details.
Identity theft is basically using someone’s personal information without their prior knowledge. One example: is a thief getting ahold of another’s person’s social security and driver’s license numbers and using that information to get a credit card or to buy a car. Anyone can become a victim of this crime because of the sheer countless ways for a person to steal another’s identity.
Technology runs our world. However, through the abundance of information that it contains, a new crim knon as identity theft can easily take place. According to a recent study 27 million Americans have been a victim of idenity theft since 1999. Unfortunately, that number increases every year. Idenity theft can occure as a result of new lines of credit being opened, phone fraud, or employment related fraud. Pre-paid legal services is a legal industry that has teamed with Kroll Inc. to help victims of Idenity fraud. Their system help alert you of any suspicious activity on your credit. So in other words, they help stop the thief before your idenity is stolen. People can also protect their idenity by checking their credit reports regularly and
Identity theft refers to all crimes in which somebody steals and uses another person’s personal information (e.g. Social Security number, credit card number, and such), typically to benefit themselves. The harm done to the victim can involve everything from simply draining their accounts of money to, in some of the worst possible scenarios, racking up extraordinary amounts of debt and even committing crimes while using the victim’s information.1 As a result, identity theft can not only wreak havoc from a financial standpoint, but it has the potential to damage the victim’s credit history, reputation, and can take a lot of time and patience to resolve.
Identity theft is fraud! Basically Identity theft is a crime when one person illegally obtains another person’s personal information, then deceives others into believing the thief is actually someone the unknowing victim. This deception is usually used for monetary gain by stealing bank or credit card account information. Other, seemingly non-0sensitive information like telephone numbers, addresses, family names, and birthdates can also be used to gain easier access to account information. One piece of that information might very well be useless, however when they are all put together one’s personal information puzzle can be assembled. When all the information is pieced together a criminal can open new accounts in the victim’s name for fraudulent purchases
Identity theft is the deliberate use of someone else 's identity, usually as a method to gain a financial advantage or obtain credit and other benefits in the other person 's name, and perhaps to the other person 's disadvantage or loss. The person whose identity has been assumed may suffer adverse consequences if they are held responsible for the perpetrator 's actions. Identity theft occurs when someone uses another 's personally identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.
What is identity theft? Federal laws define identity theft as “knowingly transferring, processing, or using, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abeit, or in connection with, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of Federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable State or local law” (18 U.S.C. 1028(a)(7) 2012). As of 2011, statistics have shown that identity theft had increased by 13%, with more than 11.6 million adults having their identity stolen, even though the dollar amounts stolen have remained consistent.
“8.6 million households (8.6%) experienced some form of Identity theft in 2010”, according to FTC. Research from all around the world reveals that identity theft affects millions of people per year, giving victims a numerous amount of hours and money in identity recovery and repair. In fact, in some cases, identity thieves are able to suppose an unaware person’s identity entirely, acquiring someone’s identification with their name and even often committing crimes as that person.
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
“Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information (PII), like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.” (Fighting Back Against Identity Theft: Federal Trade Commission). According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft complaints have decreased since year 2008 (314,521 to 250,854). It is estimated by the FTC that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. As information technology progresses along with society, there is always an increased risk of having one’s identity stolen. “Identity theft was the number one
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 theft has a significant impact on online merchants. According to industry studies, large online merchants are seeing that between 0.3% and 0.5% of sales are fraudulent, representing billions of dollars.”