Identity Theft
Kevin Gardner
Proposal Paper
ENWR 102-G
4/25/2013
Identity theft is committed every day in the United States. This form of crime can be extremely serious and life changing. The amount of resources the United States puts toward the prevention of identity theft is just not enough. Identity theft can harm a persons’ entire life because of all the damage that the thief can cause in such a short amount of time. Identity theft is a threat to everybody and the world as a whole should be more aware of the consequences because of all the pain it can cause. Being the victim of identity theft comes with severe consequences and the attorney general’s office, police departments, and banks need to start educating the population about this issue.
The definition of identity theft according to “dictionary.com” is, “The crime of setting up and using bank accounts and credit facilities fraudulently in another person’s name without his or her knowledge” (Identity Theft). Although identity theft commonly consists of personal identification cards as well as credit cards being stolen, there are more serious cases where people have had passports, banking codes, and social security numbers stolen. In the book Identity Theft: A Reference Handbook, Sandra Hoffman states
“Victims and perpetrators of identity theft vary in age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and occupation. Furthermore, it is a crime of global concern. Incidents of identity theft are escalating in the United States as well as in other countries. Given the far-reaching implications and proliferation of the crime, it is important to develop a thorough understanding of the crime in order to work toward viable solutions to the problem. ” (Hoffman 7).
One of the most serious identity theft cases was committed by Philip Cummings, a desk helper at a software firm in Long Island. Cummings stole from over 33,000 consumers with an unknown net gross of between $50 and $100 million. “According to U.S. attorney James
Proposal Paper
ENWR 102-G
4/25/2013
Identity theft is committed every day in the United States. This form of crime can be extremely serious and life changing. The amount of resources the United States puts toward the prevention of identity theft is just not enough. Identity theft can harm a persons’ entire life because of all the damage that the thief can cause in such a short amount of time. Identity theft is a threat to everybody and the world as a whole should be more aware of the consequences because of all the pain it can cause. Being the victim of identity theft comes with severe consequences and the attorney general’s office, police departments, and banks need to start educating the population about this issue.
The definition of identity theft according to “dictionary.com” is, “The crime of setting up and using bank accounts and credit facilities fraudulently in another person’s name without his or her knowledge” (Identity Theft). Although identity theft commonly consists of personal identification cards as well as credit cards being stolen, there are more serious cases where people have had passports, banking codes, and social security numbers stolen. In the book Identity Theft: A Reference Handbook, Sandra Hoffman states
“Victims and perpetrators of identity theft vary in age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and occupation. Furthermore, it is a crime of global concern. Incidents of identity theft are escalating in the United States as well as in other countries. Given the far-reaching implications and proliferation of the crime, it is important to develop a thorough understanding of the crime in order to work toward viable solutions to the problem. ” (Hoffman 7).
One of the most serious identity theft cases was committed by Philip Cummings, a desk helper at a software firm in Long Island. Cummings stole from over 33,000 consumers with an unknown net gross of between $50 and $100 million. “According to U.S. attorney James