Cheri Davidson
Identity Theft Identity theft has been an epidemic for much longer than most people realize, or care to admit. There was a time when stealing someone’s identity was as easy as claiming to be someone else. The more complicated technology gets it is important not to allow a false sense of security from identity theft, as there are several ways for one to lose their identity. Dumpster diving, phishing scams, phone scams, various viruses and card scanning schemes are some of the many tactics used to steal identity. According to the Department of Justice, “identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that …show more content…
Home Depot, Schnucks and Target are among several retail stores and grocery chains to be hit with security breaches. Retailers use a point-of-sale system, POS, to store and retrieve data from customers and to complete transactions. Criminals, hackers specifically, developed software that allows entrance into these POS systems. Once in the system they are able to retrieve credit card and customer information including numbers, names and even addresses. A good way to aid in the avoidance of these types of breaches would be for the retailers to keep their systems up-to-date, spend the money if necessary to update their software and their …show more content…
Damaged credit, the cost to repair that damage, financial losses and even a potential criminal record are all consequences of a stolen identity. The effects of identity theft are hardest on children and seniors. It could take years to discover a theft involving a child’s identity and can affect their ability to obtain student loans, or a loan for their first car. It could even affect their ability to sign up for their own checking account when the time comes. For seniors, especially those unable to handle their own affairs, the theft is likely to go undetected for several years. Even more terrifying is that in both children and seniors, the perpetrator is often a family member or close
Identity Theft Identity theft has been an epidemic for much longer than most people realize, or care to admit. There was a time when stealing someone’s identity was as easy as claiming to be someone else. The more complicated technology gets it is important not to allow a false sense of security from identity theft, as there are several ways for one to lose their identity. Dumpster diving, phishing scams, phone scams, various viruses and card scanning schemes are some of the many tactics used to steal identity. According to the Department of Justice, “identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that …show more content…
Home Depot, Schnucks and Target are among several retail stores and grocery chains to be hit with security breaches. Retailers use a point-of-sale system, POS, to store and retrieve data from customers and to complete transactions. Criminals, hackers specifically, developed software that allows entrance into these POS systems. Once in the system they are able to retrieve credit card and customer information including numbers, names and even addresses. A good way to aid in the avoidance of these types of breaches would be for the retailers to keep their systems up-to-date, spend the money if necessary to update their software and their …show more content…
Damaged credit, the cost to repair that damage, financial losses and even a potential criminal record are all consequences of a stolen identity. The effects of identity theft are hardest on children and seniors. It could take years to discover a theft involving a child’s identity and can affect their ability to obtain student loans, or a loan for their first car. It could even affect their ability to sign up for their own checking account when the time comes. For seniors, especially those unable to handle their own affairs, the theft is likely to go undetected for several years. Even more terrifying is that in both children and seniors, the perpetrator is often a family member or close