Identity Fraud
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate and explain one of the various White-Collar crimes known as identity fraud. Another purpose of this paper is to inform about identity fraud and how many people are affected by it and also to notify the reader on how to prevent identity fraud. Identity fraud can be defined as a crime where an individual stole someone else’s personal information like a credit card and also use it to buy merchandises charging that specific credit card. Basically, identity fraud is a deceptive maneuver where someone else’s account is hijacked and used for personal needs. It is important for the reader to understand the scope of a White-Collar crime like identity fraud because fraud is an everyday type …show more content…
One of the largest and most complex cases was that of Amar Singh and his wife Neha Punjani-Singh. The married couple was charged with identity theft and enterprise corruption and they were also part of a group of 111 people who were also arrested for the same operation. The group would use a skimming device to swipe credit cards at places that take cards. Singh and his associates would employ other people who were then sent out to do the buying with the counterfeit credit. The scam is one of the largest in United States history, totaling $13 million and also including the other 111 people involved. Identity fraud can come in many shapes and sizes from simple credit card fraud, complex enterprise fraud, and even a large scale of people working together to deceive citizens out of their money (Compton, 2012). Identity fraud cases vary depending on how the scheme functioned and was orchestrated therefore determining the result of the sentencing. The statistics prove that identity theft is an increasing problem in the United States and demonstrates how a person of the age of sixteen or older reported at least one form of identity theft over the course of a year (Plattner, 2015). About “7% of people aged 16 or older were victimized by identity theft in 2014” (Plattner, 2015). 86% of people victimized by identity theft faced the fraud used by …show more content…
Another example in fighting fraud is to set up accounts with information that only the account holder knows. If a person is traveling away from home, then they should have their mail sent to their local post office for safe keeping. Checking bank accounts and bills is also an easy way to prevent identity theft and fraud and if there are suspicions about the account, the bank should be notified immediately. Keeping records of the bank statements and asking for credit reports also lowers the chances of being victimized by fraud. If someone is a victim of fraud, then they should act quickly and call the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and inform them about the situation. Many agencies work together in order to rid of identity theft and fraud. Agencies like the Postal Inspection Service, Social Security Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service team up to solve the problem of fraud (“The United States Department of Justice”, 2015). Many identity theft and fraud cases do not depend on “whistle-blowers” because most of the time the thieves are working in small groups and also will not cooperate with law enforcement. I found that state laws would be most effective because some federal laws are too lenient with the punishments. Fraud also impacts the state government tremendously if the case is not handled immediately. Identity fraud in Georgia is punishable by one to ten
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate and explain one of the various White-Collar crimes known as identity fraud. Another purpose of this paper is to inform about identity fraud and how many people are affected by it and also to notify the reader on how to prevent identity fraud. Identity fraud can be defined as a crime where an individual stole someone else’s personal information like a credit card and also use it to buy merchandises charging that specific credit card. Basically, identity fraud is a deceptive maneuver where someone else’s account is hijacked and used for personal needs. It is important for the reader to understand the scope of a White-Collar crime like identity fraud because fraud is an everyday type …show more content…
One of the largest and most complex cases was that of Amar Singh and his wife Neha Punjani-Singh. The married couple was charged with identity theft and enterprise corruption and they were also part of a group of 111 people who were also arrested for the same operation. The group would use a skimming device to swipe credit cards at places that take cards. Singh and his associates would employ other people who were then sent out to do the buying with the counterfeit credit. The scam is one of the largest in United States history, totaling $13 million and also including the other 111 people involved. Identity fraud can come in many shapes and sizes from simple credit card fraud, complex enterprise fraud, and even a large scale of people working together to deceive citizens out of their money (Compton, 2012). Identity fraud cases vary depending on how the scheme functioned and was orchestrated therefore determining the result of the sentencing. The statistics prove that identity theft is an increasing problem in the United States and demonstrates how a person of the age of sixteen or older reported at least one form of identity theft over the course of a year (Plattner, 2015). About “7% of people aged 16 or older were victimized by identity theft in 2014” (Plattner, 2015). 86% of people victimized by identity theft faced the fraud used by …show more content…
Another example in fighting fraud is to set up accounts with information that only the account holder knows. If a person is traveling away from home, then they should have their mail sent to their local post office for safe keeping. Checking bank accounts and bills is also an easy way to prevent identity theft and fraud and if there are suspicions about the account, the bank should be notified immediately. Keeping records of the bank statements and asking for credit reports also lowers the chances of being victimized by fraud. If someone is a victim of fraud, then they should act quickly and call the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and inform them about the situation. Many agencies work together in order to rid of identity theft and fraud. Agencies like the Postal Inspection Service, Social Security Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service team up to solve the problem of fraud (“The United States Department of Justice”, 2015). Many identity theft and fraud cases do not depend on “whistle-blowers” because most of the time the thieves are working in small groups and also will not cooperate with law enforcement. I found that state laws would be most effective because some federal laws are too lenient with the punishments. Fraud also impacts the state government tremendously if the case is not handled immediately. Identity fraud in Georgia is punishable by one to ten