Jul 09
30
Defend Your Identity: Define Identity Theft
There are plenty of things that you could own. Some may have been bought, others given to you, and still other passed along from generation to generation.
In addition, those possessions can have monetary or sentimental value. Some of those items that have sentimental value can include photographs or heirlooms that have been passed down within the family.
The down side of owning things of value is that they may be susceptible to theft. Sometimes theft can be broadly defined as items lost to a fire, flood, earthquake, etc. In addition, there is an element in society made up of individuals who steal from others and can rob law abiding individuals of their prized possessions.
One other item that can be stolen from individuals is something extremely personal. That item is a person’s identity. To increase the general awareness of identity theft it is important to define identity theft. In order to define identity theft it is imperative to know how society defines identity theft and how it can occur.
Just What Is Identity Theft, Anyway?
In order to be aware of identity theft, provide protection and prosecute those who steal another’s identity, it is important to define identity theft. Identity theft is that action or actions taken by another for the purpose of misrepresenting themselves as that individual in order to commit fraudulent acts. Those fraudulent acts can include the illegal accessing of that person’s financial accounts or committing acts of crime. Those acts of crime could include creating new credit cards accounts, obtaining a loan, etc.
Also, to properly define identity theft, it is critical to define the negative impact experienced by the individual whose identity has been stolen. One of the negative repercussions of identity theft is financial loss. Often an identity theft crime will affect a person’s bottom line as thieves access credit cards, bank accounts, etc.
In addition, if not addressed quickly, an identity theft victim will have to deal with damage perpetuated on their good name. Often this damage is reflected in credit ratings, possible criminal activity, employment interviews, etc. Although the victim is innocent, often it takes months or even years for the devastating effects of the identity theft to be cleared.
How Identity Theft Occurs
Identity theft usually happens when someone obtains critical pieces of information about you.
This may include things like social insurance numbers, driver’s license numbers, or bank PINs. Things that only their owner ought to know.
If an identity thief gets hold of this information, they can impersonate you to banks, credit card companies and other services. Don’t ever give this information out to anyone who shouldn’t have it.
Most legitimate companies will only ask for this information if you have initiated the call. They don’t call you and ask for it. They may also only ask for the last few digits, rather than the entire number.
Also, identity thieves may look through trash or steal a person’s purse or wallet. It is therefore very important to shred all unwanted mail that contains sensitive information as well as never carrying your social security card with you.
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