There is many of the America nation that says their identity can’t get stolen, but it can. There is even ways for your identity to be stolen with your credit cards now. Anyone can be the next victim of identity theft. That is why in this research I will tell you how you get identity theft and how to prevent identity theft, because most Americans never know it is happening. Americans need to allow themselves to come to know the cautions of identity theft. There are so many different types of identity theft this day and time.
This is why I want to bring to your knowledge about this thing called identity theft.The first thing is, what identity theft is. Identity theft is a term that is used to refer to all the crimes in which another person will take and use someone else’s own private personal data for his or her own benefit. They will use it to obtain a driver license or other important documentation that they may need. In the United States and Canada there have been countless numbers of identity thefts by using their credit card.
Identity theft has put a damper on people and their financial means. This is what identity theft is and why it is the most common crime in the United States.Secondly, what are the most common ways to commit identity theft? People don’t realize how easily criminals can obtain their personal information without having to break in their homes or stealing anything from them. One way criminals steal a person’s identity is by shoulder surfing and that is when the criminal watches you write a check and they can memorize all your information on that check. They can also eaves drop and hear you giving out your credit card number.
That is a way they can steal it. Another tactic they may use is dumpster diving, which is where they will go through your trash to try to find information. That is why people need to make sure to keep things with important information or either shred it before disposing of it. They sometimes use what is called hacking. This is where they use the internet to capture your personal information online.
The next thing in my paper is what is the Department of Justice doing about identity theft? The Department of Justice prosecutes cases of identity theft under different federal statutes. In the fall of 1998 Congress passed the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. This legislation made a new offense for criminals of identity theft. It was made if someone stole someone else’s identity they would go to jail for it.
The penalty if caught would be a maximum sentence of 15 years if found guilty. These are some cases showing how the Department of Justice is doing their jobs to catch the identity theft criminals. There is the Central district of Kansas case that proves they are. There are many cases that show that the Department of Justice is doing their best to crack down on identity theft criminals.
What can the people of the United States do about identity theft? The victims of identity theft have the task of correcting the information the person has stolen and trying to get their name and life to normal. This may seem like it is taking forever to fix, but eventually it will be fixed after all the missing pieces are put back in the puzzle. The damage the identity theft criminals leave on the person they stole the identity from is so far from undone that they messed up everyday life for the person. This is what people have to do after their identity is stolen.What should Americans do to avoid becoming a victim? For a person to reduce or minimize the risk of becoming a victim is to just remember the word “scam.
” Be stingy with who you give your personal information to. Adopt a need to know approach. Also, if your traveling have the post office hold your mail until you are home. If you need to give out personal information while traveling.
Don’t do it where people passing by can hear your information. Check your financial records regularly, look for what should be there and what should not be there. Ask periodically for a record of your credit report so you allow yourself to keep up with it and also maintain records of your banking and financial accounts. Know what information is supposed to be there. The truth is even if you take all these steps, you still may become a victim of identity theft.
These are the things that can be done about identity theft.In conclusion to my research. Identity theft is the fastest growing and most popular crime in the United States. Identity theft has a tremendous and psychological impact on the victims. It is used to finance terrorist and to fund the lifestyles of people who would rather steal than work.
Identity theft is one of the most difficult crimes to track and prove which means that most identity thieves are neither caught nor prosecuted. There are 11.8 million Americans that have had their identity stolen. In 2002 alone identity theft resulted in losses of 15 billion to consumers and 50 billion to businesses and society as a whole. This is how identity theft has become big problem in the United States.
