Identity Theft Research Paper

Identity Theft Approximately, fifteen million United States citizens are victims of identity fraud each year, losing about fifty billion dollars in total (IdentityTheft). In mid-December, there have been over fourteen and a half million identity theft victims this year with the number still climbing (IdentityTheft). Identity theft has proven itself to wreck havoc on many innocent lives. In one story, the felon stole more than $100,000 of credit card debt, got a federal home loan, bought homes, motorcycles, and handguns, and all in the victim's name. Then the felon taunted the victim before filing for bankruptcy in his name. While the victim and his family tried fruitlessly to fix their life after the felon wrecked it, the felon went …show more content…
That is just one of many stories where an innocent life has been completely destroyed by identity theft. Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent identity theft as we will soon see. Identity theft or identity fraud is when someone wrongfully obtains a victim’s personal information for their own use and purposes (Justice). The perpetrator can use an individual's Social Security number, bank account, credit card number, and telephone number, and other identifying information to use it against that individual (Justice). Many people have reported in the United States and Canada that someone has taken money out of their bank accounts or even running up huge debts and committing crimes using the victim’s names (Justice). Not only can perpetrators steal and use your money, but they can add additional expenses to fix your reputation and correcting wrong information (Justice). Identity theft did not use to be such a problem that it is today, but with the rising technology in this age, it has become a serious issue. It actually started with people impersonating someone else and grew after that. There are numerous identity theft types; they include Financial, Medical, Criminal, Children, Seniors, and SSN (IdentityTheft). …show more content…
I recommend that everyone is aware of someone calling them and asking for their credit card number and identifying information. You should develop a “need to know” approach to your personal information. It is essential that everyone safeguards their personal information, monitors their financial accounts regularly, and defend themselves against identity theft as soon as they suspect a problem (Emporia). “Awareness is among the most powerful tools in the fight against identity theft,” (Emporia). There are many useful ways that safeguard an individual's information, such as shredding financial documents, only giving out a social security number if absolutely necessary, not giving personal information over the phone or the mail, using firewalls or antivirus softwares, not using obvious passwords, and keeping their personal information at home. To monitor financial accounts, a person should be paying attention to bills that did not arrive and letters about purchases they did not make, inspecting their credit report and bill paying history, and inspecting their financial statements (Emporia). You should keep a record of anything that a criminal could use against you and put them in a filing system (Hamadi). Also, if you are a victim of identity theft, there are many skilled and professional lawyers who will certainly help you. If identity theft happens to someone, they should

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