...Identity theft. What is Identity theft? According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), identity theft is the act of “someone unlawfully obtaining another’s personal information and uses it to commit theft or fraud.” Many people face this theft at least once throughout their lives. Though, what many people do not know is what to do when you personal information has been compromised. According to Jeanne D’arc Credit Union, The first thing anyone should do is “close all credit card accounts immediately and consult with your financial institution(s) about the best course of action for your situation.” Although, most of the time, credit card companies will detect something off or out of place and will call and ask you for your recent purchases....
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...Today’s Risk of Fraud: Forensic Accountants Help Protect Identity Theft Megan Laughman Financial Accounting Theory Michael Miller 4/7/15 Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore the recent cyber breaches that have occurred within companies throughout the United States and to look at the different ways these cyber breaches could have been prevented. The research also examines the need for forensic accountants within the business field, as they are able to help protect a company’s credibility and reputation. The study looks at the different internal controls a forensic accountant can incorporate into a company to help prevent cyber breaches and fraud from taking place. The results of the research provide confirmation that forensic accountants are essential in every company in order to help prevent and detour cyber breaches and fraud. Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………4 Literature Review………………………………………………………………………………7 Data Analysis........................................................................................................................…...14 Results and Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………17 References………………………………………………………………………………………19 Today’s Risk of Fraud: Forensic Accountants Help Protect Identity Theft Introduction Technology today is more advanced than it ever has been and almost everyone this day and age owns a computer, tablet, or smart phone. Most Americans utilize their computers, tablets...
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...Abstract The Federal Trade Commission considers identity theft to be the fastest growing crime in the country. The Internet has become a hot zone for attracting identity theft thieves to steal personal information. Identity theft is divided into four basic areas – financial identity theft, criminal identity theft, identity cloning and business and commercial identity theft. Criminals obtain our personal information through methods such as using an insider, dumpster diving, computer hacking, war driving, phishing and pre-texting. The Department of Justice prosecutes identity theft under federal statutes. Congress passed the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, Title 18 United States Code 1028 in 1998. One of the most noted identity theft cases was USA v. Cummings. The largest hacking and identity theft case ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice involved eleven people who stole more than forty million credit and debit card numbers. To severely curtail on identity theft, President Bush mandated Executive Order 13402 called the Identity Theft Task Force. Identity theft causes immeasurable damage to peoples’ names and reputations. Greater awareness and education will help us to combat identity theft. Identity Theft It’s a nightmare that can leave an unsuspecting person feeling violated and vulnerable. It doesn’t care who you are or where you live. Gender, race and age are totally irrelevant. In this modern technological age, it is a crime that can realistically...
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...Identity Theft Abstract This research paper will examine what is known about identity theft. The paper begins with defining the crime and its background, followed by a review of the patterns and incidences of identity theft. This review will include data on the extent and costs of this crime. Discussion will then focus on victims and perpetrators of identity theft. Common techniques used by identity thieves will be explored along with tips to protect consumers and businesses from having their identities stolen or data breached. Legislation in place to prevent and prosecute identity theft will be discussed. How to report identity theft is also explained. Defining Identity Theft The U.S. Department of Justice defines identity theft, also called identity fraud, as “all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain” (U.S. Department of Justice, 2015). Identity thieves use personal data such as Social Security numbers, bank account or credit card numbers to personally profit at the victim’s expense. These breaches allow thieves to take funds out of bank accounts or in the worst cases, take over a victim’s identity completely, running up huge debts and committing crimes using the victim’s name. Victims not only suffer the out-of-pocket financial losses, but they may have to rebuild their reputation in the community due...
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...Identity theft is the crime of using someone else's personal information for self-gain. According to an article in USA Today, identity theft is surpassing traditional theft and is becoming the leading form of property crime (Anderson). The Federal Trade Commission estimates that more than 9 million individuals are victims of identity theft each year. The Justice Department puts the figure at more than 3.5 million households (Anderson). Anyone can become a victim of identity theft and it is not limited to the financial activities of one’s life. People’s identity is also stolen in order to commit criminal activities. Both activities are defined as fraud and are punishable by law if caught. Financial identity theft or fraud includes bank fraud, credit card fraud, computer and telecommunications fraud, social program fraud, tax refund fraud, and mail fraud. In fact, a total of 25 types of financial identity fraud are listed and investigated by the United States Secret Service (Obringer). In 1997, Secret Service agents made approximately 10,000 financial crime arrests which 94 percent involved identity theft (Obringer). Fifteen years later, Javelin Strategy & Research reports that over 12 million financial identity theft cases were reported (Javelin Strategy & Research). Other types of identity theft usually involve financial elements as well but are typically committed to fund some sort of criminal enterprise. Criminal activities include gaining...
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...Dangers of Identity Theft Sharae Ernst IFSM 201 – Summer 2012 8/3/2012 “Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information (PII), like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.” (Fighting Back Against Identity Theft: Federal Trade Commission). According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft complaints have decreased since year 2008 (314,521 to 250,854). It is estimated by the FTC that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. As information technology progresses along with society, there is always an increased risk of having one’s identity stolen. “Identity theft was the number one complaint category in the CSN for calendar year 2010 with 19% of the overall complaints, followed by Debt Collection (11%); Internet Services (5%); Prizes, Sweepstakes and Lotteries (5%); Shop-at-Home and Catalog Sales (4%); Imposter Scams (4%); Internet Auction (4%); Foreign Money Offers and Counterfeit Check Scams (3%); Telephone and Mobile Services (3%); and Credit Cards (2%).” (Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book: For January - December 2010, 2011). Although the numbers have slightly decreased, overall, identity theft is on the rise. “According to a February 2012 Javelin Study, identity theft rose 13% from 2010 to 2011. More than 11.6 million adults became a victim of identity theft in the United States during 2011.” (Coping with Identity Theft: Reducing...
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...Internet Fraud: An Overview of Classifications, Government Actions, and Consumer Protection December 14, 2006 Internet Fraud: An Overview of Classifications, Governmental Actions, and Consumer Protection Internet fraud is an increasing threat to our technological society, which thrives on the advances and benefits of the Internet and e-commerce. With the increased growth and dependence of the Internet, creative individuals have found ways of conveying fraudulent schemes as legitimate goods and services. Not only does Internet fraud cause harm to individuals and institutions, but it also damages the consumer confidence of valid Internet businesses and e-commerce. There are many forms of Internet fraud which Internet patrons need to be aware of and cognizant of. This paper will explore major classifications of Internet fraud, provide information on how to deal with Internet fraud, relay actions taken by the government to thwart Internet fraud and prosecution thereof, and also take a detailed look into one type of Internet fraud especially, identity theft. According to the Department of Justice (http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/text/Internet.htm), Internet fraud is any type of criminal scheme that uses one or more components of the Internet to present fraudulent solicitations to prospective victims, to conduct fraudulent transactions or to transmit the proceeds of fraud to financial institutions. Major types include; online action and retail scams, business opportunities...
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...IDENTITY THEFT PENALTY ENHANCEMENT ACT Name Course School Date Introduction The Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act is an amendment to Title 18 of the United States Code. The Act was brought in to define and establish penalties for aggravated identity theft. It is also an enhancement of the definitions of identity theft found in the provisions of Title 18 (Congress.gov, 2004) (Finklea, 2014). Identity theft is an issue that has affected the nation for many years. Advances in technology have made it possible for many people to have access to the tools and resources needed to forge documents which are a critical part of identity theft. The most common form of identity theft is associated with credit card fraud. Credit card fraud on the internet has substantially increased due to the opportunities present in the Internet environment. However, this represents some of the simplest forms of identity fraud. Such is the case since it is very easy to discover credit card fraud by both the credit card company and the victim as well. However, according to the Federal Trade Commission (2002), other forms of identity theft are more severe since they take a longer time to materialize (Federal Trade Commission, 2002) This view is also by Finklea (2014) in his article where he points out the issues and trends of identity theft. The Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act comes in the context of increased awareness of the difficulties posed by emergent technologies. So far, identity...
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...IDENTITY THEFT NAME: INSTITUTION: IDENTITY THEFT Identity theft refers to a situation where a person uses information used to identify another person, such as their name, credit card number or social security number without their permission, in order to commit fraud or other crimes. In other words, it is stealing the identity of a certain person and pretending to be that person by assuming their identity, usually so as to access their resources or to obtain recognition and other profits in their name (Cheney, 2005). There are many forms of crime related to identity theft. Some identity thieves rent apartments or get credit cards or phone accounts in the names of their victims. These victims may not learn out about it for some period of time, until they notice some charges they did not make, or are contacted by a person or people claiming that they owe them. It may sometimes cost them hundreds or thousands of dollars and a lot of time while trying to undo the damage (Keith, 2005). Identity theft could ruin an otherwise spotless reputation. It could also lead to much suffering if the victims are held responsible for the thief’s actions. TYPES OF IDENTITY THEFT Identity theft can be divided into the following categories: • Criminal identity theft, that is, pretending to be another person when arrested for an offense • Child identity theft. • Financial identity theft, that is, using the identity of another...
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...Identity Theft Introduction Today, the United States is facing an ever-growing number of identity theft crimes. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), nearly 10 million Americans suffered the consequences of this crime in 2004, and the commission received more than 5,000 telephone calls per week related to identity theft in 2005. According to the FTC(2006) most victims of identity theft are quite unaware of how their personal information was obtained. Identity theft happens when someone steals your personal information and uses it without your permission. It’s a serious crime that can wreak havoc with your finances, credit history, and reputation and can take time, money, and patience to resolve. (Identity Theft/ Consumer Information). The sharing of information on transaction identities is necessary for operation of these payment systems. However, this information sharing can facilitate fraud in the form of identity theft. Information sharing can also create conflicts of interest that may not be easily resolved through the operation of the marketplace. Thoughtful public policy should be aimed at resolving these conflicts. The ultimate goal of regulation should not be absolute privacy of consumers or complete suppression of identity theft, but instead the promotion of efficient confidentiality of personal information . Too much white space. What is Identity Theft? Identity theft is a crime when someone without permission uses of another person’s...
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...Identity Theft James Middleton AIU Online Abstract In this paper we will discuss identity theft. What is identity theft, what are some of the more common ways that people have become victims to identity theft? We will discuss how the law has changed and what the law has accomplished. Also how the law now protects the victim. Identity Theft What is identity theft; which is often referred to as identity fraud, which refers to all types id crime involving someone wrongfully obtain and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves deception (findlaw.com, n.d.). By definition of the Identity Theft & Assumption Deterrence Act (ITAD) of 1998, specified that it is a federal crime to knowing transfer or use without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abed any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of Federal law, or constitutes a felony under any applicable state or local law (OVC, 2010). If a person steals another person’s identity but does not cause any monetary damage has a crime been committed? I would have to say yes, based on the definition of the ITAD Act. You transfer or use another person’s identity with the intent to commit a crime and you are caught; yes it is a crime. The most common ways to commit identity theft, is either to listen to someone’s conversation while they are giving out a credit card number over the phone, by “dumpster diving” when they can obtain...
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...Final Paper: Medical Identity Theft at Molina Healthcare, Inc. Barlahan, Andrei ID B00459963 Brandman University Define the Problem Medical Identity theft has become an increasing problem in the United States and continues to negatively impact millions of individuals. Medical identity theft usually occurs when individuals share their information with someone else, who in turn uses that information to receive medical services and fill for prescriptions. Other times, individuals lose their medical card or have their information stolen by a friend or close relative. According to a 2013 survey conducted by the Medical Identity Fraud Alliance (MIFA), medical identity fraud has increased nearly 20 percent compared to the year before in the U.S., affecting an estimated 1.84 victims and having a total out-of-pocket medical costs incurred by medical identity theft victims of $12.3 billion (DeGaspari, 2013). This is a serious problem, because not only are millions of dollars wasted, but patient medical records are compromised, which can result to misdiagnoses, wrong procedures and treatment, and wrong prescriptions. On a smaller scale, Molina Healthcare’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) conduct investigations on referrals they receive indicating a Molina member may have been a victim of identity theft. A lot of times when the issue is actually identity theft, the SIU is only able to “band-aid” the problem and have found the issue resurfacing months later and Molina continuing...
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...be a victim of identity theft. Five years ago her credit card was cloned, and someone went on a wild spending spree pretending to be her. “I used my card in a petrol station in Wembley on a Tuesday. The following Monday I went to use the credit card and there was no money in my account,” says Cassandra, now 37. “Somebody had been shopping with my card all over Wembley on the Friday and the Saturday, in four or five different shops. I was overdrawn by about £500, and the grand total they spent was about £900. They mostly bought clothes.” The incident happened before there was widespread use of CHIP and PIN, which have been instrumental in the battle against identity theft when it comes to credit cards. So all someone had to do was swipe Cassandra’s credit card, fake her signature, and walk off with the goods. Getting the Money Back First of all, Cassandra cancelled her credit card, and made plans to get a new one issued with a new PIN.“At first I was just mad, I was just angry. And when I first went to the bank to try and find out why I had no money in my account, they said, ‘Well, you spent it all,’” Cassandra recalls. “I told them that I did not, and they said that I must have, as it was my card. It took me about 45 minutes of moaning for them to actually tell me where the money had gone.” The bank presented her with a list of all the transactions, and made her mark all the ones she did not make. Then she had to go to the police and fill in a credit fraud form, and supply...
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...the centuries, the term ‘identity theft’ has meant many things. People have pretended to be other when committing crimes to avoid sentencing. Identities have been stolen in order to obtain certain medical care or drugs that would be unavailable otherwise. In this day and age, identity theft has become synonymous with finances. Thieves all over the world are using various methods to gain access to your money; and they’re more successful at it now than ever before. According to a 2013 Javelin report, 13.1 million people in the United States suffered financially because of identity fraud. According to multiple reports, that number is expected to rise in 2014 and beyond. As we get smarter about how financial identity theft is committed, criminals become smarter about gaining our sensitive information. When we became good about shredding old credits cards and bank statements, they used e-mail and phone schemes to coax us into giving our information to them. Companies invest millions of dollars into new technologies meant to keep criminals out of databases, and criminals simply bypass these obstacles with combinations of cutting-edge and archaic techniques. It’s a vicious cycle that seems to have no end. So how can we as consumers protect ourselves from these identity thieves? Consumers must take a more active role in their financial lives, especially when it comes to online transactions. People often rely on stores and banks to protect their identities online. This is a huge mistake...
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...The Threat of Fraud Tracey Brewer American InterContinental University Security and Loss Prevention CRJS270-1301B-01 Jade Pumphrey March 28, 2013 Abstract Identity theft, whether on a personal or business level is a criminal act. So, for many years individuals have plotted and schemed to come up with scams to obtain personal information from other individuals or organization to either sabotage one’s reputation or obtain financial gain. Either way, this wave of criminal activity is wreaking havoc to innocent people and successful organizations everywhere. The Threat of Fraud Introduction Corporate fraud and executive identity theft are crimes that are on the rise. I don’t think corporations understand the impact this crime can have on their business. It only takes a few measures to ensure that the company is protecting against someone being able to access information that could bring the entire corporation to the ground. It can takes years to establish credit, build clientele and provide a service to the country or a community, however, it can only take the click of a mouse, that one email attachment or that one dishonest employee and your entire businesses financial data has been obtained, used or sold for the sole purpose of financial gain. Therefore, to protection your organization’s personal information. Well, it’s time to get the facts, take the necessary precautions, and start the process for what could be the first steps in protecting your organization...
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