Definition of Identity Theft
The National Crime Victimization Survey stated that, “there is no one universally accepted definition of identity theft as the term describes a variety of illegal acts involving theft or misuse of personal information” (As cited in Copes and Vieraitis, 2012). Therby, a commonly accepted definition of identity theft is known as the unlawful use, or possession, of someone else’s personal identifying information, which, can result in a criminal charge. Personally identifying documents, which, thieves often obtain include, an individual’s name’s, social security number, address, telephone, date of birth, driver’s license number, taxpayer identification number, government passport number, or any biometric information, …show more content…
Identity theft, once considered to have a low crime rate, has emerged as one of the most prevalent and fast growing crimes since the beginning of the twenty first century. In order to substantiate the prevalence claims made by these federal agencies, Allison et. al noted that, “the U.S. General Accounting Office (USGAO) attempted to synthesize all published data and reports regarding identity theft” (2005, p. 21). In the conclusion of their findings, the U.S. General Accounting Office noted that although many agencies reported varying rates, it was evident that identity theft indeed was growing at a rapid rate. Presently, according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, identity theft complaints accounted for 14 percent, totaling to over two million of the overall complaints received during the year of …show more content…
Several studies have indicated similar findings when researching the correlates of victimization. For example, researchers have concluded that women are just as likely as men to be victims of identity theft each year; individuals pertaining to the Caucasian race were the most likely to fall victim to identity theft, where as, individuals of the African American race were the least likely to; the average age of the victims was much older, thus, putting individuals aged between 35 to 64 are at the most risk, where as, individuals aged between 16 to 24 and 65 or older possess the lowest rates of victimization; and households which possess an income of over $75,000 a year are indicated to be the most at risk to fall victim to this crime in comparison to those in lower income brackets (Allson et al. 2005; Harrell 2015). Research by Holt and Bossler (2009) Copes et al., (2010) has also indicated that, “In addition to demographic profiles, studies have suggested that people who engage in risky behaviors such as remote purchasing or Internet usage are more likely to be victims of identity theft” (As cited in Vieraitis and Shuraydi,
The National Crime Victimization Survey stated that, “there is no one universally accepted definition of identity theft as the term describes a variety of illegal acts involving theft or misuse of personal information” (As cited in Copes and Vieraitis, 2012). Therby, a commonly accepted definition of identity theft is known as the unlawful use, or possession, of someone else’s personal identifying information, which, can result in a criminal charge. Personally identifying documents, which, thieves often obtain include, an individual’s name’s, social security number, address, telephone, date of birth, driver’s license number, taxpayer identification number, government passport number, or any biometric information, …show more content…
Identity theft, once considered to have a low crime rate, has emerged as one of the most prevalent and fast growing crimes since the beginning of the twenty first century. In order to substantiate the prevalence claims made by these federal agencies, Allison et. al noted that, “the U.S. General Accounting Office (USGAO) attempted to synthesize all published data and reports regarding identity theft” (2005, p. 21). In the conclusion of their findings, the U.S. General Accounting Office noted that although many agencies reported varying rates, it was evident that identity theft indeed was growing at a rapid rate. Presently, according to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, identity theft complaints accounted for 14 percent, totaling to over two million of the overall complaints received during the year of …show more content…
Several studies have indicated similar findings when researching the correlates of victimization. For example, researchers have concluded that women are just as likely as men to be victims of identity theft each year; individuals pertaining to the Caucasian race were the most likely to fall victim to identity theft, where as, individuals of the African American race were the least likely to; the average age of the victims was much older, thus, putting individuals aged between 35 to 64 are at the most risk, where as, individuals aged between 16 to 24 and 65 or older possess the lowest rates of victimization; and households which possess an income of over $75,000 a year are indicated to be the most at risk to fall victim to this crime in comparison to those in lower income brackets (Allson et al. 2005; Harrell 2015). Research by Holt and Bossler (2009) Copes et al., (2010) has also indicated that, “In addition to demographic profiles, studies have suggested that people who engage in risky behaviors such as remote purchasing or Internet usage are more likely to be victims of identity theft” (As cited in Vieraitis and Shuraydi,