Identity Theft
Introduction
The history of identity theft can trace its roots back before the Internet became the main avenue of communication. Moreover, the internet is an important avenue for criminals to obtain and acquire any information they want to steal the identity of a person. Primarily, it is used to take advantage of individuals, once necessary information about the targeted individual is obtained. The most common methods used to obtain the personal information such as credit card number, banking information, and social security number is from the personal or business trash, snail-mail box, and stolen or lost wallets (Harrell). Primarily, if an individual throws away personal information such as back statements, tax return statement, …show more content…
Identity theft, therefore, encompasses several activities that include the collection of personal information, the creation of identity documents, and the process of fraudulent use of another person’s information for personal gain. Primarily, identity theft occurs when personal information of someone else is misappropriated and used to gain some advantage, mainly for financial gain through deception and fraud. The process involves the thief stealing personal information relating to the identity of an individual for such information as address, date of birth, name, social security number, driver, license number, health card number, mother’s maiden name, and then acting as the victim by effectively taking over his or her …show more content…
This is one of the most common types of identity theft in the United States with more than 2.5 million Americans having reported cases of it. Moreover, medical identity theft leads to financial loss, as the false representation of the victim’s medical history results in difficulties in establishing the correct information about the individual in question, for instance, if the personal medical information was used in the process of dispensing medicines or drugs in a hospital (Who Commits Identity Theft?). A physician may rely on such information in the future to prescribe drugs to the victim of medical identity theft which might turn to be hazardous to the health of the victim. To prevent such effects people secure personal information and report a loss of their personal data to the
Introduction
The history of identity theft can trace its roots back before the Internet became the main avenue of communication. Moreover, the internet is an important avenue for criminals to obtain and acquire any information they want to steal the identity of a person. Primarily, it is used to take advantage of individuals, once necessary information about the targeted individual is obtained. The most common methods used to obtain the personal information such as credit card number, banking information, and social security number is from the personal or business trash, snail-mail box, and stolen or lost wallets (Harrell). Primarily, if an individual throws away personal information such as back statements, tax return statement, …show more content…
Identity theft, therefore, encompasses several activities that include the collection of personal information, the creation of identity documents, and the process of fraudulent use of another person’s information for personal gain. Primarily, identity theft occurs when personal information of someone else is misappropriated and used to gain some advantage, mainly for financial gain through deception and fraud. The process involves the thief stealing personal information relating to the identity of an individual for such information as address, date of birth, name, social security number, driver, license number, health card number, mother’s maiden name, and then acting as the victim by effectively taking over his or her …show more content…
This is one of the most common types of identity theft in the United States with more than 2.5 million Americans having reported cases of it. Moreover, medical identity theft leads to financial loss, as the false representation of the victim’s medical history results in difficulties in establishing the correct information about the individual in question, for instance, if the personal medical information was used in the process of dispensing medicines or drugs in a hospital (Who Commits Identity Theft?). A physician may rely on such information in the future to prescribe drugs to the victim of medical identity theft which might turn to be hazardous to the health of the victim. To prevent such effects people secure personal information and report a loss of their personal data to the