Identity Theft | Identity Theft Facts | Identity Theft Punishment | Extended Car Warranty | Phishing Scam | Define Phishing | Internet Identity Theft | Define Identity Theft | Preventing Identity Fraud | What Does A Phishing Scam Look Like





Identity Theft Punishment - Understanding The Crime, The Trauma Caused, And The Law


As we are all well aware, as technology has advanced and changed our lives for the better, so too has technology given criminals more ways to lie, cheat, and steal from us. In particular, identity theft is on the rise and has been for a number of years now.

As the statistics clearly show, these kinds of crimes of fraud are becoming more and more popular, affecting an estimated 10 million people during the 2008 year. In this article, we are going to take a look at the the crimes, the laws protecting us and identity theft punishment.

In most cases, when people think of having their important information stolen, whether it is their social security number, bank account numbers, credit card information, etc., they tend to think that the greatest danger comes from someone obtaining it through online methods.

Most online methods are known as phishing scams, where the victim inputs personal information into a form or pop-up they believe to be legit. However, as the stats continue to show, your average information-stealing criminal will choose to go "dumpster diving" for your personal info - 43% in 2008, compared to a paltry 11% of crimes committed online. What does this mean? Simply that people need to take better care of how they dispose of papers, etc., that contain any bit of personal information.

Now that you have a couple of facts about the crimes and how the criminals go about getting your information, lets take a look at the victim side of things as well as where the law stands in punishing people that commit these fraudulent crimes.

Of course, for a victim of this kind of crime, there is more at stake than simply dealing with the credit companies and trying to fix a lifetimes worth of hard work, there is also the emotional stress of never feeling safe again.

Thankfully, there are ways to insure that should you suffer from someone stealing your identity that you can be protected, namely a form of insurance that you can get from companies that provide protection services. Lifelock, TrustedID, idWatchdog, and Identity Guard, are just a few examples of companies that provide excellent protection.

Thankfully, just a few years ago in 2004, the Penalty Enhancement Act was signed into law, which adjusted the maximum penalty for fraudulent crimes committed by stealing a persons identity.

For example, initially the maximum was three years in jail, and now it is up to five years. Across the board, the penalties are much tougher on the criminals that steal peoples' lives from them, which we can all only hope will deter some of those fiends from even attempting to get away with anything.

Due to the fact that these kinds of crimes continue to be on the rise, it is necessary for identity theft punishment to keep up with the very serious nature of these despicable acts, in order to ensure the safety of the average citizen's personal information.



Owensboro, Hawaii, Farmington, Mason City, Mayfield, Hackensack, Bedford Heights, Massillon, Northampton, Hattiesburg, Hilliard, Wood River, Hermosa Beach, Pittsburgh, Watertown, Casselberry, Girard, Davie, Goleta, Findlay, Manassas Park, Aberdeen, State College, Hollywood, Brentwood, Lynchburg, Kenmore, Decatur, South Dakota, Brownsburg, Lockport, Gautier, West Springfield, West Lafayette, Reidsville, Bradenton, Muscle Shoals, Parkland, Kirksville, Seal Beach, Aurora, Greenfield, Cary, Brigantine, Kingsport, Chambersburg, Plainfield, Texas, Nebraska, Illinois, Eureka, Hemet, Wyoming, Lynn Haven, Appleton, Novi, Sierra Vista, Nicholasville, Portsmouth, Redwood City, New Jersey, Santa Cruz, Port Arthur, Gardendale, Easton, Columbia, West Monroe, Waycross, Half Moon Bay, Auburn, Marshalltown, North Carolina, Taunton, Kansas City, Glens Falls, Gahanna, Chino Hills, Fayetteville, Erlanger, Maryland, Broadview Heights, Ann Arbor, Greeneville, La Mesa, Greer, Greenville, Wyoming, Alton, Wisconsin


How to Stop Identity Theft - 8 Things to Do to Prevent Identity Theft and Build Your Credit Score

By Tim Pelton
Well, 'never say never' because it almost happened to me. I was on a business trip and I thought I lost my cell phone. Oh man! There goes my phone, my calendar, and all my client contact info in one shot. I was sick about it, couldn't sleep, and all the info I might need was 2000 miles away.
[READ FULL ARTICLE]

Social Networking and Identity Theft - Do Not Be the Next Target

By Tina L Douglas
Social networking is like the hottest thing in the World Wide Web. Nowadays, almost everyone who uses the computer and internet is a member of at least one, two or more social networking site.
[READ FULL ARTICLE]

5 Ways to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

By Ann-Marie Murphy
If you haven't had your identity stolen, you probably know someone who has. Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information and uses it without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. It's a growing problem, affecting 11.1 million adults in the United States just last year. Fortunately, there are many ways to protect yourself.
[READ FULL ARTICLE]


Identity Theft | Identity Theft Facts | Identity Theft Punishment | Extended Car Warranty | Phishing Scam | Define Phishing | Internet Identity Theft | Define Identity Theft | Preventing Identity Fraud | What Does A Phishing Scam Look Like