Online Identity Theft

Online Identity Theft; Are You Susceptible?

COMP 129

October 10, 2013

Identity Theft as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary is the illegal use of someone else’s personal information in order to get money or credit. Before the widespread use of personal information on the internet the main source for identity theft was through dumpster diving. This meant rummaging through peoples trash looking for bills or other personal information. However with the rise of the internet; online identity theft has grown to become commonplace in our world today. By simply opening e-mails or down loading items off the internet you can be exposed to viruses that can have
life altering consequences. In the paragraphs to follow I will explain steps on prevention, how to spot, how to stop, and the harmful effects of online identity theft.
Furthermore, taking steps to prevent online identity theft is the single most important aspect. The Federal Trade Commissions Identity Theft Survey in 2006 reported that consumers lost over $1.1 billion dollars due to identity theft. If you are wise and cautious you can either all together stop, or quickly end someone from stealing your personal information. The steps to prevent online identity theft are simple, but often overlooked because many people to not want to waste their time. The first thing that can be done is having multiple e-mail addresses for different uses. Having three to four email addresses for different information is a great safety feature. The email addresses can be broken up for personal, business, and junk mail. This prevention method can stop virus-attached junk mail from accessing private or business related information. Creating longer and complex passwords is the next simple step of prevention. Passwords should not contain any personal information such as names or dates. The use of uppercase, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols are either recommended or required by most websites to make it harder for unauthorized people from accessing it.
In addition, do not store personal information such as credit card and social security numbers on your computer. Keeping this information in a secure location in your house can stop it from reaching the greedy hands of identity thieves. Installing and updating firewalls, anti-virus, and anti-spyware software can keep the prying eyes of the internet away. Having these programs can stop or prevent viruses from entering or running on your computer. Another step is to wipe out all information on old electronics that your are either throwing away or selling. This will ensure that no body can obtain any information. Nearly everyone has purchased some thing online at one time or another. None of us feel safe typing in our credit cards numbers and other personal information. Having one card for online purchases allows you to closely monitor on what is being spent and who is spending it. These are just some of the many useful tips that can help everyday people prevent identity theft.
Many internet users especially young people to do not check or know how to check if there identity has been stolen until its too late.
There are many useful tactics to find out if you have been a victim of identity theft. The most useful tactic is to order your free credit report from the three major credit bureaus; Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. Each of the credit rating companies will give you a free credit rating report throughout the year. That means you can get a free credit rating every four months throughout the year. Simply checking your bank statements each month will allow you track your expenditures and to see any anomaly’s. There are also more prevalent ways to know if your identity has been stolen. Debt collectors may begin to call and leave voice mails asking for money you have never spent. Mail may start going missing such as bills if someone has changed your billing address. Identity thieves commonly do this so theirEqu victims do not see the expenditures they are placing in their names. A serious realization of identity theft may come when you find out you have a warrant out for your arrest. Someone could have committed a crime in your name and it would be unknown to you until you have pulled over and then arrested. This is serious inconvenience for you can have major
repercussions.
Once you are aware someone has stolen your identity it is solely up to you to make it come to a stop. The process may give you many headaches along the way, but will allow you to continue on with your life. Immediately call your bank have them freeze or cancel your accounts and credit cards. Also talk to your bank about sending you new cards with different account numbers. Find out if there are any unauthorized cards or accounts in your name and have them immediately closed. This will prevent any more expenditures for the time being. If you allow some accounts to be active place them on fraud alert so you can control the purchases. The next step is to change all passwords with access to private information. Remember to not use any personal names or dates, and to use numbers and symbols in your passwords. This makes it much harder for thieves to gain access. These steps may be time consuming but will prevent any further information or money form being stolen.
Overall effects from having your identity-stolen range broadly.
The most common immediate effect will be money. Unless you have an insurance policy such as Life-Lock or you have the proper paper work to clear the charges from your name; you will have to front the bill. Depending on how long the person had your identity the bill can be only a few hundred to thousands of dollars. This means that a person you have probably never encountered has just stolen your life savings. Medical insurance can also be affected through identity theft. If someone had a procedure in your name and you go for the same or similar procedure you may not be covered. This requires more of your time and energy to settle through more paper work and headaches. The worst-case scenario as I said earlier would be if someone used your name to committee a crime and got away with it. This results in a arrest warrant in your name for a crime you did not commit. Imagine being pulled over for a simple speeding ticket and to then be arrested for a crime in another state or country you have never been to. The process of clearing your name will take an unknown amount of time and you would have a criminal record for the time being. This immediately makes finding a job or applying for loans extremely difficult. These are just some of the many unimaginable penalties for being a victim of a
crime.
In exposition, Online Identity theft is a major problem in our world today and there seems to be no stopping it. We can only take precautions to slow the inevitable time when you have your identity stolen. I know many people personally who have been affected by online identity theft.Though most identity theft does not cause serious harm it takes a toll mentally. That is why as internet users we all must be aware of the dangers that can arise. It is worth to take a small amount of time now to secure your identity than for hours or days of your life to be wasted on fighting charges you could have prevented.the
Works Cited Page
1. "ID Theft, Fraud & Victims of Cybercrime." ID Theft & Fraud. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
2. "Security Awareness." Cyber. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
3. "University Information Security Office." How to Spot Identity Theft. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.