Persuasive Essay On Identity Theft

Identity theft is the stealing and use of someone’s personal information and is one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation (Dole, 2005). According to Federal Trade Commission estimates, identity thieves victimize approximately 10 million Americans every year at a cost of an astonishing $50 billion (2005). Identity theft has been going on for years now and is easily done with the help of today’s technology. According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are six common ways that identity thieves get a hold of personal information. The varieties of methods that are used are dumpster diving, skimming, phishing, changing the victim’s address, stealing, and pretexting (Federal Trade Commission). Once someone’s identity is stolen,

True name, identity theft means that the thief uses personal information to open new accounts. The thief may open a new credit card account, or even establish a cellular phone service in your name. Account takeover, identity theft means the imposter uses personal information to gain access to the person’s assisting accounts. The thief will change the address on the account and run up a huge bill before the persons whose identity has been stolen realizes there is even a problem. Consequently, the internet has made it easy for a person’s identity to be stolen because the transaction can be made without asking any personal information. Retrieving personal paperwork and discarded mail from trash dumpsters (dumpster diving) is one of the easiest ways for an identity thief to get information. Another popular method to get information is shoulder surfing-the identity thief simply stands next to someone at a public office, such as the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and watches as the person fills out personal information on a form.

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

You will notice when checks start bouncing or a collection agency begin calling you. The good thing is the damage isn 't so much in dollars,since the financial institution are liable for the unauthorized charges. You wil also notice when you can 't get approved for a mortgage or a job, and the countless phone calls and paperwork you 'll need to go through to set the records straight. You will also notice when you are applying for credit somewhere and they will not approve you when you know that you have great credit score. There are also unauthorized credit or debit card purchases, getting unexpected credit approvals, unprompted collections letters that you have no idea about. Also someone can hack into your email to see if you have any information in it.Also if you have an account that has been flagged warning it means that it is something odd on your account and they will flag it as a warning to let you know. A crook can also even get into your mailbox and get your mail, when you are expecting something and you know that it should have been here by now. You may even have someone to use your medical information, because they don 't have any to take care of there own problems. Your identity can even be stolen when someone has committed a crime and use your name and get a surprising arrest warrant for no reason. There are so many ways for crooks ro come up with things.

My grand mother had her identity stolen once. We found out the elderly are a common victim of identity theft. An entire year went by before she knew her identity was stolen and the only reason she found out was because she found out she was missing money from her account each month to the point that her mortgage payment was not being paid in full each month. She was under the impression the bank took care of everything, her husband was taking care of the finances but he passed away so everything started to unravel. Once she found out she owed the bank a lot of money toward her mortgage and was very behind on payments. She never found out who did it, had to get all new cards and numbers, and is still paying for it today.

Some of the things you can do to minimize the chances of your identity being stolen would be to kep your important, personal papers in a an organized secure place at all times. Shredding personal papers and documents, and making sure that any personal information or account numbers are blacked out if they’re thrown in the trash. Always make sure to keep only any personal information

Identity theft is a type of fraud that involves using someone else's identity to steal money or gain other benefits. as of yet,

Becoming the victim of identity theft is never something that is a pleasant experience. Along with the fear regarding the actual event, there is also the aftermath that must be considered. It can sometimes take years to completely see the full effects of identity theft, but by learning more about the different types, it is much easier to get started making repairs.

Therefore, when someone uses your personal information to obtain identification, credit or even a mortgage, you become a victim of identity theft. This crime is devastating to a victim’s credit score and peace of mind.

     Identity fraud is use of a persons name, social security number or other personal identifying information. Once armed with this information the thief can open accounts and rack up huge debts for goods and services. These criminals also open up various accounts ranging from cell phones to bank accounts. Once these accounts are established they don’t pay the bill

Identity Theft is the assumption of a person’s identity in order to obtain credit cards from back account and retailers; the crime varies from stealing money from existing bank accounts; renting apartments or storage units; applying for loans or establishing accounts using another’s name (legal dictionary, 2007). Identity theft and identity fraud are terms that are often used

By definition “Identity theft n. the dishonest acquisition of personal information in order to perpetrate fraud, typically by obtaining credit, loans, etc., in someone else's name; fraud perpetrated in this way. ” (dictionary.oed.com, 2007). It’s estimated that 9 million Americans have had their identities stolen each year. “According to the Secret Service, its investigations show a jump in potential losses due to identity theft, from $851 million in 1998 to $1.4 billion in 2000.” add citation from how stuff works There are many ways that thieve steal your identity, they may go through your trash, steal your wallet or purse. I will discuss a lot of the different ways in more

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.”

A. Identity theft is defined as an illegal use of someone’s information in order to obtain money or credit in the

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