Causes Of Identity Theft

Throughout the years, identity theft has become extremely prevalent and has affected many people. It’s important for everyone to know why identity theft began and the importance of it. There are many causes of identity theft that lead to negative effects. Identity theft is a serious problem that should not be taken lightly. Many people have gotten their wallet stolen or their purse and this is very common. Often times, people put their information on the internet when they do not know exactly who this information is going to. There are thousands of people out there who are out to get your money and/or identity. The things we frequently wonder are why these people take all our information and money. We do not fully understand the causes of
Hackers are people who hack into other people’s computers or electronic devices so they can take control over their things. A book titled Net Crimes and Misdemeanors written by J. A. Hitchcock takes us through many different aspects of how people take and control our things. She explains to us “When you’re connected to the internet, your computer is part of a worldwide network and anyone can try to connect to your system. The best way to describe it is by contrasting it to your television, a one-way communication mechanism” (Hitchcock 237). Hackers can reach any personal information located on an individual’s computer. Any accounts or credit card numbers in the system, they can get ahold of. We use many internet softwares today that can help prevent hackers, but not all the time. Hackers are extremely knowledgeable with computers and can find their way in. Hitchcock also gives us a little background information on when many viruses and softwares were introduced. She states, “…there was a good enough market for a security suite that included a personal firewall and antivirus capability. They were right. When NIS was introduced in December 1999, the U.S. retail market for internet security software grew more than 140 percent” (Hitchcock 236). Throughout the years, many software updates came out to help protect people and their information. The problem is that the more
People often trust the internet too much when it comes to buying things or sending out their personal information. One does not take into account that there are hackers waiting to scam you for all your money and information. IN an article titled, “Information Security Breaches and the Threat to Consumers” written by Fred H. Cate, he states, “Consumers often end up unwittingly providing thieves with access to sensitive data by failing to secure their own data, by responding to fraud schemes, such as phishing and pharming, and by careless use of their personal information” (Cate 4). In other words, people tend to trust that what they put on the internet, however there are people who are trying to scam you for your money. People should be more aware and less careless about what they are sending through the internet and to who they are sending it to. While we continue to be careless with our information, we continue to see many crimes involving identity theft. Cate writes, “The vulnerability of unsecured personal data and the threat of identity-based frauds nevertheless continue to grow and evolve as perpetrators become more sophisticated in how they seek to obtain and exploit personal information” (Cate 2). It makes it easy for hackers to catch and use one’s personal information when the individual continues to be careless with their information