Identity Theft : Fastest-growing Crime by Michael Sanford

Back

Identity Theft : Fastest-growing Crime
by Michael Sanford

Identity theft is quickly becoming one of the most prevalent forms of crime in the country, with approximately 10 million victims a year. Cases include impostors using someone's credit card number to make purchases, and social security numbers stolen over the internet. Identity thieves are also now robbing identities on a large scale, as seen by the Choice Point and LexisNexis cases earlier this year, when personal information from 175,000 accounts was stolen from these two large data collecting companies.

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the country with about 10 million victims a year, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.
The crime takes several forms, including impostors using someone's credit-card number to purchase merchandise and drivers giving someone else's personal information when pulled over by police for speeding.
Cases of credit-card and Social Security numbers getting stolen over the Internet are becoming the most common instances of identity theft, but people do not need to own a computer to be victimized.
Bridgewater was watching a New Year's parade in 2003 when she got a call from a man claiming to be with a credit-card company.
For example, criminals recently gained access to 175,000 accounts from two data collecting companies: ChoicePoint and LexisNexis.
While banks take security measures to protect customers who bank online and use credit, ATM or debit cards, officials say consumers themselves must take precautions.
Signed with an official eBay logo, the e-mail tells a consumer that their eBay account has had

Author's Biography:

Posted on: October 14,2005

Email: articles@mastermarketingteam.com
Website: http://www.gardencity.com