Identity Theft in United States
Problem
Identity larceny involves assorted deceitful offenses where person ‘s personal information is wrongfully obtained and used for economic additions. Although it is closely related to individuality fraud, individuality larceny is unauthorised attempted usage or usage of an already bing history such as a debit or recognition card, societal security Numberss, telephone Numberss, passports, birth certifications, or any other signifier of an history without the cognition of the legitimate proprietor for fraudulent or economic grounds. Therefore, individuality larceny is founded on caricature where personal information is fraudulently acquired and used for economic additions. In the United States ( U.S. ) , individuality larceny has been classified as a major offense that costs Americans one million millions of dollars. For case, in 2012 an estimation of $ 21 billion was lost as a consequence of individuality larceny ( Finklea 1 ) . In add-on, 16.6 million U.S citizens reported holding been casualties of individuality larceny in 2012 ( Harrell and Langton 1 ) . Based on these statistics, it is apparent that individuality larceny happening in the U.S. is really high and airss economic and security hazards to Americans. The prevalence of individuality larceny in the U.S. is high and for this ground, collaborative steps from different stakeholders are required to control the frailty.
Thesis
Identity larceny is a serious job in the U.S. that claims 1000000s of dollars every twelvemonth, and the U.S. authorities and other stakeholders must ordain better regulations to help in restricting this offense.
Causes of Identity Theft
The primary causes of individuality larceny in the U.S. are misplaced and stolen points that have personal information. This is because in most instances, Thieves get of import personal information by stealing misplaced recognition and bank cards from vulnerable Americans in promenades, banking halls, and bus Michigans among other extremely populated countries. Mugging and street larceny are besides associated with individuality larceny because the wrongdoers use personal information found in billfolds for fiscal additions. Harmonizing to Vacca ( 8 ) , stealing billfolds and bags with bank cards, recognition cards, and other signifier of designation every bit good as stealing mail and preapproved recognition offers, revenue enhancement information, and bank statements are some of the other ways which are used to get personal information. Rummage through concerns ‘ and persons ‘ rubbish and chopped stuffs is another manner that is used by wrongdoers to obtain personal information.
In their research, Damiani and Liu ( 141 ) established that current hallmark protocols, both digital and physical, remain the major causes of individuality larceny in the U.S. For illustration, despite the degree of engineering used in digital hallmark, the usage of sensitive information during hallmark makes it easier to steal personal information. Notably, even if a individual is really careful in protecting personal information, while utilizing physical hallmark in the instance of geting a driver ‘s licence or using for a mortgage, their information may still be accessible to wrongdoers. In add-on, in the instance of digital hallmark protocols, personal information being communicated is sometimes stored in computing machines and waiters that are prone to choping. This harmonizing to Damiani and Liu ( 141 ) makes larceny of personal information by individuality stealers much easier. They add that despite the handiness of the SSL protocol that encrypts the communicating taking topographic point between the user and the waiter, shoulder surfboarding or Trojan keyloggers are non prevented. This is because the user is required to type and unwrap sensitive information like driving licence or societal security figure before acquiring full entree. This makes it possible for individuality stealers to steal sensitive information, which is subsequently used by individuality stealers to perpetrate offenses and frauds.
The elevated degrees of unemployment in the U.S. can be classified as one of the prima causes of individuality larceny. For illustration, Finklea ( 20 ) observes that in most instances unemployed Americans have a high susceptibleness to perpetrate employment fraud which is a signifier of individuality fraud by utilizing the victim’s personally identifiable information with the exclusive purpose of geting a occupation ( Finklea 20 ) . In other instances, cozenages can be used through the usage of other people’s identifiable information to publicize occupations to susceptible Americans. Last, informations breaches can besides do individuality larceny given that engineering has made it possible to entree other people’s information. Encrypted hallmark can be used to cut down these causes of individuality larceny although policies are required.Solutions to Identity Theft
The hazard of individuality larceny can be reduced through different methods that can be used to observe and forestall deceitful minutess. Identity larceny is carried out through well-known, implicit in offenses like pickpocketing, caricature, computing machine fraud, recognition and card fraud, counterfeiting, and counterfeit, which make it difficult to forestall ( Newman 1 ) . One of the major ways that can be used to forestall individuality larceny is through awareness creative activity, particularly on concerns to take duty when protecting personal information and records. This is because most individuality larceny wrongdoers steal personal information and concern records that are inadequately protected. Therefore, both low-tech and hi-tech ways can be used to safeguard databases with personal information. Some of the protective methods include security cheques, usage of privateness policy, regular staff preparation, coaction with fiscal offense undertaking forces, restricting handiness to confidential information by employees in the workplace and to on occasion transport out employees ‘ background cheques ( Newman 1 ) .
Educating people on ways to protect their personal information can be used to cut down individuality larceny. An on-line platform such as the World Wide Web is one of the major tools that educate people on how they can avoid being victims of individuality larceny. It is imperative to observe that some constabulary sections in the U.S. created web sites and particular forums on individuality larceny. Although this is a positive solution, there is need to follow a collaborative step and work with community organisations like schools, vicinity ticker meetings, community organisations and centres, and consumer protagonism groups among others. National Crime Prevention Council ( 9 ) has advised persons to memorise all watchwords instead than composing them down. In add-on, personal or fiscal information should non be shared with 3rd parties personally, through the cyberspace or over the phone. The Council goes in front to rede individuals to handle societal security figure with confidentiality. Other ways which can be used to forestall the loss of personal information include maintaining personal billfolds safe, non transporting personal societal security card around, destructing any difficult thrust that has personal information with the purpose of forestalling individuality larceny ( National Crime Prevention Council 9 ) .
User hallmark is another method that can be used to forestall individuality larceny, particularly larceny affecting fiscal minutess. Chiefly, hallmark has been described by Willox and Regan as a procedure employed to corroborate person or something as echt ( 8 ) . The traditional method used to authenticate personal information is through the usage of a watchword and a username. Therefore, to forestall individuality larceny, people should ever corroborate their watchwords and alter them frequently in instance they suspect that their watchwords have been excessively exposed or have become vulnerable. Other than utilizing personal designation Numberss ( PIN ) , some organisation have gone to the extent of supplying their clients or employees with biometric hallmark codifications. For illustration, some organisations scan peoples ‘ eyes or fingerprints as portion of forestalling individuality larceny. In mention to online banking, hallmark has become a major manner of covering with individuality larceny in the U.S. , doing on-line fiscal minutess more effectual. Authentication is regarded as the method appropriate methods of controling individuality larceny because it is difficult to get the individuality of another person ( Willox and Regan 9 ) . This is because knowledge-based hallmark solution requires a individual to verify a several types of information before acquiring entree to an history.
As before indicated, one of the major causes of individuality larceny is deficiency of concern on personal information stored in cards and histories. To forestall individuality larceny as a consequence of personal concern, some of proposed preventative actions are destructing or tear uping all paperss incorporating personal information and regular checking of recognition or bank statements ( Harrell and Langton 14 ) . That manner, it would be possible to detect any unnatural alterations in bank or recognition statements, and in instance of individuality larceny, one can describe the incident to the necessary governments. As proposed by Finklea ( 24 ) , procuring informations in public and private sectors every bit good as bettering personal and consumer hallmark procedures can play a major function in forestalling individuality larceny.
Congress can besides go through a policy to safeguard identifiable information of Americans by increasing the degree of limitations on the extent to which personal information can be disclosed to the populace ( Finklea 24 ) . With mention to the societal security Numberss, and other personal information, limitations are necessary as portion of forestalling individuality larceny. For illustration, societal security Numberss should non be displayed in Medicaid and Medicare designation card, therefore cut downing the hazard of individuality larceny ( Finklea 23 ) . Notably, puting societal security Numberss on these cards increases the hazards and the exposure to individuality larceny. In instance of individuality larceny on the online platform, the most appropriate method encrypted hallmark ( Finklea 20 ) .
Refutation and/or Decision
Identity larceny entails the usage of another individual ‘s individuality with the purpose of perpetrating a offense. It is conclusive that individuality larceny ranges from bank and recognition card larceny to public-service corporation services larceny. In add-on, individuality larceny in the U.S. is a job that continues to claim 1000000s of dollars yearly. For this ground, steps should be implemented to restrict the frailty and salvage 1000000s of dollars which are lost every twelvemonth. Other than being an economic hazard, individuality larceny has besides been classified as a security hazard. Identity larceny includes stealing and utilizing another individual ‘s personal information for fiscal or economic addition. The major causes of individuality larceny are high degrees of unemployment, informations and security breaches, stolen or misplaced personal billfolds and bags, and the usage of both physical and digital hallmark protocols that relay sensitive information. Some of the solutions that can be employed to forestall individuality larceny include, the usage of low-tech and hi-tech methods to forestall entree to personal information, hallmark, educating people on why and how to protect personal information, destructing all paperss with personal information, minimising the sum of informations available to the populace, and go throughing Torahs which restrict the exposure of personal information. Therefore, the major focal point should be on observing and forestalling any activities that may be associated with individuality larceny with the purpose of extenuating the hazard.
Plants Cited
Damiani, Ernesto, and Peng Liu.Data and Applications Security Xx: 20th Annual Ifip Wg 11.3 Working Conference on Data and Applications Security, Sophia Antipolis, France, July 31-August 2, 2006: Proceedings. German capital: Springer, 2006. Print.
Finklea, Kristin. Identity Theft: Tendencies and Issues.Congressional Research Service. 16 Jan 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.
Harrell, Erika and Lynn Langton. “Victims of Identity Theft, 2012.”Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin,1-26.
National Crime Prevention Council.Preventing Identity Theft: A Guide for Consumers. n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.
Newman, Graeme R.The Problem of Identity Theft. 2004. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.
Vacca, John R.Identity Larceny. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR, 2003. Print.
Willox, Norman A and Thomas M. Regan.Identity Fraud: Supplying A Solution. 2002. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.
