Identity Theft Why Preventive measures will never be sufficient

Identity theft has struck more than 27.3 million Americans between April 1998 and April 2003, Timothy L. postponed O'Brien, with over one third of bullied alone over the past year. In this time of year, companies and banks lost € 48 billion while individuals were personally pay € 5 billion to restore their financial identity. In many cases the thieves and their victims would never have met. In this virtual world today, a criminal can destroy a person from the next door or across the ocean without knowledge, nor cared who the victim is, all that matters are the numbers that make up the credit record of a person. Strangely, what is important in the eyes of a thief is also a lender or a dealer.

The numbers have become representations of people. When once a good reputation was determined by politeness, morality and goodness of people, today the value of a person is judged by numbers and formulas that combined together create what is meant by risk assessment customer FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) - yet another number. Based on these, a figure is generated by a computer impassive, a person is therefore considered creditworthy or not. Since politeness and morality can not be quantified, they did not compose this equation. Risk assessment and customer credit record would lead us to see our relationship with money purely in numbers. Even our relationships with other human beings are tainted in this way. Lenders do not care about people, they are interested in assessing customer risk. Our identities are also reduced to statistics printed on a computer, a brief summary of where we live, how we earn and what assets we have, all that matters about a person (at least in the eyes of others) presented as statistics on the back of a baseball card - without the stick of gum. According to the online version of Merriam-Webster, the term identity refers to "distinctive character or personality of an individual." It seems strange that a word defined by the character and personality has affiliations finance. Money is associated with the impersonal, as evidenced by terms like "" hard-money ". Money is a medium created to simple exchanges of goods and services, nothing more. The fact that we will attach such great importance that we attach less identity is at the root of identity theft. An exponentially growing problem making a frenzied rage in our new century. Research by O'Brien proves that your identity is worth about € 10 on the Internet. It's the going rate among identity thieves. The fact that our data have a label is horrible, but we think it would at least be justified by more than ten euros shabby. This transformation of identity-people-in numbers, distanced by their very nature, makes this crime so popular. The dehumanization of the "other side" is a tradition, so despicable, the tradition of the history of humanity, but it has always been undertaken as a means of input power and capacity of a group against another. Now we are inflicting the. We have collectively decided to allow a set of numbers to represent us. Trivializes what it means to be human, and we wonder why theft is increasing in spite of our care and our efforts to fight against. Experts cite the ease of crime as a reason for its popularity, but we must also consider the morality surrounding fuzzy concepts such as financial identities (for example, is it wrong that a parent opens an account in the name of a child). In addition, our increasingly impersonal, highly technical world alienates us further from each other, creating the distance not only friends and relatives, but predators and prey. Surely a crime does not require that a victim looks into the eyes to be easier to commit. Identity theft is increasing, not only because it is relatively easy to commit, but because we have turned people into numbers. It is easy to attack a number. We are dehumanized, and we created a company that carries more importance to money. Now we suffer the consequences. For these reasons, despite all our precautions, we find the identity theft impossible to kill unless we change how we act vis-à-vis each other and to our money.

What is identity theft?

Some argue that identity theft can indeed be prevented without changing our philosophical conception of humanity and Finance. To discuss this we must first establish a clear understanding of the crime. Before 1998, identity theft was not even a name. Queen Marla Stafford reported that it was only this year that the Law of Identity Theft and Deterrence has been adopted, the Department of Justice has officially been a crime. According to O'Brien, "identity theft involves the most intimate, the most stealthy and perhaps the most inquisitive of fraud. - Any list of the financial picture of a person to obtain bank loans, credit cards and mortgages on behalf of that person. "The financial picture" that the usurper is concentrated within the detail of a private individual including but not limited only to the social security number, name, address and telephone number. In some scenarios an abandoned piece of mail is everything a thief needs to obtain loans and credit cards on behalf of a person. The main objective is always the acquisition of easy money. This crime not only against individuals but also affects businesses as well. The business entities that establish the credit of their own, are frequently targeted. Whether a company or an individual, it would take months to repair damage to their personalities, and they could feel the effects years later. At the end, most victims are not responsible for the majority of costs incurred against them (although they may spend hundreds of hours trying to erase the marks left on their credit record). Thieves may try to use this to justify their actions, convincing itself that the major source of business or money-banks will be recognized only to suffer, this making it a crime where no one is physically touched. But it demonstrates a lack of understanding of the concept of global economics and the danger of creating an unpleasant character culturally accepted image of big business. We see people in numbers and corporations as enemies. When this irreverence is built into our society, it is not surprising that identity theft increases in popularity, despite efforts to dissuade her.

Identity theft is only possible because our financial and personal identities have become inextricably intertwined s. Amy Diller-Haas said "the need to protect personal identities has become as important as the protection and preservation of financial assets." Because the news about identity theft are always followed by reporting of illegal loans, euro lost, ruined credit and any other indicators of financial disaster, we might conclude that our own identities are synonymous with our financial value. One of the reasons why identity theft is a crime so disheartening because it is a crime against the people, because we have reached the point of view our finances as our part.

Just as it is important to understand the nature of identity theft, we need to know the methods that thieves use to execute the crime. The website of United States Postal Service indicates that thieves can obtain personal information in various ways, to include mail theft, claiming to be a loan officer, order a copy of credit record of a person, "spying watching over the shoulders "at the ATM, or" sorting of waste "in the garbage to find canceled checks or credit applications that were not destroyed. The advent of the Internet, and banking and online shopping have brought many more illegal methods to collect personal information.

According to David Myron Internet is increasingly "the weapon of choice" for identity thieves. The reports related to identity theft from the Internet increased 45% in 2002 to 55% just one year later. Hiawatha Bray reported on a virus called Coreflood that collects passwords. The ramifications are obvious as it is increasingly common for us to use our personal computers to carry out banking operations. Coreflood is just one among many others throughout metamorphosis.

An abundance of scams online also provides a means for seasoned computer criminals to acquire personal information. "The phishing is a relatively new acquisition technique on the Internet. Stafford says it occurs "when the fraudulent emails are sent to users in a false representation of a ISP Internet (ISP), merchants and banks to try to extract personal financial information. These emails seem to come from legitimate sources and consist typically ask the user to insert passwords or other personal information, but in truth they are from identity thieves hoping to use the data for get free money. In connection with the phishing (phishing) are "pirated versions of websites. According Chula G. King, fake sites is when Internet predators disguise themselves as real businesses and stealing their online identity. "With the fake sites, the Internet address of a company is contained in an address similar domain controlled by identity thieves." Users who believe visit the pages of a legitimate institution such as the website of their bank, can be duped into providing private information.

Once the thieves acquire the identity of a person, they can use it to earn money from a number of ways. Some embark on extravagant purchases. O'Brien mentions a case where criminals have any shipment of items bought in a hardware store and after turning round to have sold half the original cost price, while this charge on behalf of the victim. Identity thieves may also change the address of a victim and make a bank loan of tens of thousands of euros. According to Terri Cullen, owners have more to worry about. They are being targeted because of their broad experience. "The owners are surprised to find that thieves have not only stolen their personal information, but also used as a home equity loan or, in some cases extreme, sold the house without the knowledge of the owners. "In such cases, two identity thieves work. The poses as a buyer and uses the stolen picture of the person applying for a mortgage and other claims to be the seller. Once the house sold, they share the profits and disappear, hundreds of thousands of euros richer. Cullen said that such crimes in connection with the house are possible because the major part of the process to apply for a mortgage and sell the house today is done by phone or computer. People do not have to show proof of identification when applying for a mortgage. In the case of home equity loan some lenders insist on even the score when the loan is less than 1% of the value of the house.

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime and fashionable. According to Ton Slewe, identity fraud occur at least eight times as often as documented cases of fraud. Identity theft does not include borders, laws and morality. O'Brien said that his popularity can be linked to key factors such as, "the growth of the Internet and digital finance, decades of expanding consumer credit worldwide, the hodge-podge of local and federal law and change often inadequate laws governing the credit industry. "O'Brien and others choose to ignore, or at least fail to address the physical and emotional importance that our society capitalist has the money given and how this impact on his popularity and other crimes involving money. In addition, there is little to say about how we have trivialized the people by transforming them into numbers while allowing foreigners to make immediate judgments of our personalities without us meet and at worst allow others to plunder our time and to destroy our financial well-being.

Prevention: what the experts recommend

Most sources providing advice on identity theft give variations of the same suggestions. Destroy all documents, credit applications and bank statements with personal information. Every year, made a request and review copies of your credit report three major credit bureau agencies. Do not provide personal information such as account numbers, passwords, social security number over the phone or online unless you initiated the contact. Do not keep your Social Security card in your wallet. Use a safe, even at home, to keep your checkbooks, passwords, your financial paperwork. Do not contact friends or relatives, whatever the degree of confidence, your personal identification numbers for your ATM cards. Although these warnings are sensible and appears to be passable, they are not quite sufficient.

Unfortunately the responsibility for identity theft does not begin and end not by us. Even if people are careful about the document destruction, concealment of passwords and regular review of credit slips, what about other institutions that hold their personal information? Ron Lepofsky reminds us that "most companies have the personal information of their employees (such as passwords, addresses, details of their credit card numbers and personal account for the register of wages) in their databases computer data. "Although there are laws that dictate the safe handling of this information, there is a degree of trust included not necessarily justified. Businesses, after all, are notorious for having their own concept of profit margins and making shortcuts every time they can get away. Lepofsky also said, "most people are shocked by how easy whose personal information may be obtained by cajoling employees in good faith, secretly photographing or simply found in a landfill. Slewe urges companies to improve their identity checks, "especially if demand for services such as credit cards or loans are made." He warned us that a number of increasingly sophisticated computer viruses deserve "measures draconian Prevention. "Are we able to fill the spot? And even if we are, is it enough? We can only hope that future laws and their enforcement held businesses, including our own employers, responsible for our personal information so that they may be concerned as we are to protect our identity.

Even in an ideal scenario, one where we take all precautions and suggested that companies that hold our information are the same, it can only reduce the risk, not eliminate it.

The problem: What preventive measures will never be enough

Preventive measures are ultimately not sufficient. There will always be implanted will have access to information. O'Brien postponed "the most difficult to fight against are implanted because whatever you do to try to prevent a corrupt implanted disseminate information easily." The Postal Service U.S. says it is not uncommon for potential thieves intentionally assume a job that requires working closely linked to financial information, thus giving them access to everything they need to perpetrate their crimes. In addition, the corruption of the outside is not uncommon. Identity thieves may find implemented which can provide the personal information they need. The use of internal relations is not limited to economic applications. Liz Pulliam Weston tells us that in some cases of identity theft, the perpetrator is a friend or relative. "They know all their configurations, they have access to your financial information and know all these codes identifications as the pet name of your mother." There are even cases of parents who steal the identities of their children, Weston said. They use the Social Security numbers of their children to obtain new credit cards and apply for a loan application, later refusing to admit having done something wrong. It does not help that it becomes increasingly easy for a single person to make an attempt at identity theft. Like documentaries about counterfeiting have taught people how to print money convincing enough, there are many web pages detailing exactly how to create a new identity. According to the Postal Service U.S., it only takes a home computer, scanner and color printer to create fake identities.

Apart from established and a number of increasingly important to amateur adventurers, we must fight against a lack of education among the masses. Since identity theft is so tied to technology, his biggest success turned around because of the inability of a single person, or unwillingness, to be updated. Even today, there are many home computers without protection against viruses. Many users simply do not understand how to implement the technology. Many among us do not even understand our own finances. According to Stafford, President Bush signed the law fair and accurate credit transaction December 4, 2003 to help protect consumers in their financial transactions. One way is to facilitate access to ballot credit reports. Allowing people to a free credit report from each of the three main agencies credit bureaus every year, but many people do not even know how to get a credit report much less that they are entitled. As we depend more and more technology, for many of us, what we have concept of how we protect the world is shrinking instead of growing. Despite this, we attroupons to the Internet and other new technologies without considering how much we stand to lose by venturing into these new places, uneducated and unprepared. Slewe writing "in the digital age today except few transactions in which notes and coins are used, money and financial flows are represented by information on financial assets owned, or had transferred to another party." As our finances become more and more potential but we are more and more foreign. How can we expect the potential usurpers meet our financial identities though we barely understand them? Slewe continues by saying that whereas once we could store money in safes or armored vehicles, this is no longer the case. The information is also transforming into virtual media can no longer be protected by either arms or lock. Despite our efforts, a single person can have the technical know-how to outwit identity thieves who use the Internet and other technologies, new and evolving so we cheated all our money. Even today it is a struggle. We can download software protection against viruses, but tactics such as phishing, pirated versions of websites operating outside the realm of viruses. Myron suggested online shopping, an attractive method growing in popularity each year will only worsen the issue as more consumers are likely to venture onto the Internet with their credit cards available.

Conclusion

Although many experts offer sensible advice on how we can be less exposed al'usurpation of'identite, there is no way to get completely away. The increased training and permanent, for adults as well for children, would certainly help, but ultimately we need to do more than try to fight technology with technology. Identity theft will not go away until we address the real problem: lack of respect for companies and individuals (due in part to the dehumanization of people in numbers), accentuated by a society that puts too much emphasis on wealth and material, so that crime seems like the only viable choice for some. How lucky are they that it became so easy.