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Identity Theft : Trends And Issues

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Identity Theft: Trends and Issues

Identity Theft: Trends and Issues
Identity theft is the fastest growing fraud crime in America (Finklea, 2009). Gaining knowledge in preventing theft will better the economy and lower the crime rates in America. There are reported 9.9 million victims of identity theft and this number is increasing rapidly as the years go on. It has been reported that an estimate of fifty billion dollars has been charged to our consumers every year due to identity theft (Finklea, 2009). The definition of Identity theft is when someone “knowingly transfers, possesses, or uses, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with intent to commit, or to aid and abet, or in connection with, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable State or local law” (Finklea, 2009, p. 2).The use of social security numbers has taken identity theft to the extreme. It was originally used as a tax identifiable number. Now it is being used for job applications, bank accounts, Medicare, and welfare approvals. With the social security number on several different applications, this is opening the door for numerous identity theft opportunities. The government is actively involved in decreasing the amount of identity theft by providing the most effective tools to investigate and prosecute identity thieves. One of these tools is the Identity

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