Essay On Identity Theft And Cyberstalking

Identity theft and cyberstalking are two exceedingly serious and utterly prevalent crimes that pose a great risk to today's society. "Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the United States. In 2013, someone became a victim of identity fraud every two minutes, totaling 13.1 million people" (Shin). "Almost 1.5 million people in the United States alone suffer from cyberstalking at least once every single year" (Gaille).

Identity theft is when "someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in a way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain" ("Identity Theft."). The reason in which identity theft is remarkably prevalent is because personal data is incredibly easy to obtain. Anyone is isn't terrifically cautious, verging on infeasibly vigilant could have their identity stolen.

There are various ways for identity thieves to acquire personal data. " In public places, criminals may engage in 'shoulder surfing',­ watching you from a nearby location as you punch in your telephone calling card number or credit card number, or [they may] listen in on your conversation if you give your credit-card number over the telephone to a hotel or rental car company" ("Identity Theft."). Identity theft also occurs when "you receive applications for 'pre-approved' credit cards in the mail, but discard

them without tearing up the enclosed materials, criminals may retrieve them and try to activate the cards for their use without your knowledge" ("Identity Theft."). Recently, personal data, like banking information is acquired via the internet. Numerous people have fallen victim to responding to spam that promises benefits in return of identifying data. Once the identity thieves have received enough personal identifying data, they can then apply for credit cards, loans, fraudulently withdraw from bank accounts, and much more.
Cyberstalking is "the use of technology, particularly the Internet, to harass someone", or simply, online stalking (Merritt). "Common characteristics include false accusations, monitoring, threats, identity theft, and data destruction or manipulation. Cyberstalking also includes exploitation of minors, be it sexual or otherwise" (Merritt). Cyberstalking may occur by the way of email, instant messaging (IM), social media, text messaging, phone calls, or other forms of communication that do not take place in person. Cyberstalkers depend on the anonymous cloak of the internet to continuously prey on their victims. Cyberstalkers are not to be confused with spammers. Unlike spammers, cyberstalkers target specific victims, whereas spammers target various and most likely random victims.

Cyberstalking can be incredibly dangerous and in some cases lead to real-world stalking. In most cases cyberstalkers know their victims personally. WhatIs.com's Margaret Rouse states,
WHOA (Working to Halt Online Abuse), an online organization dedicated to the cyberstalking problem, reported that in 2001 58% of cyberstalkers were male and 32% female (presumably in some cases the perpetrator's gender is unknown).

In a variation known as corporate cyberstalking, an organization stalks an individual. Corporate cyberstalking (which is not the same thing as corporate monitoring of e-mail) is usually initiated by a high-ranking company official with a grudge, but may be conducted by any number of employees within the organization. Less frequently, corporate cyberstalking involves an individual stalking a corporation.

(Rouse)
Cyberstalking is an easier, more accessible way to harass people. Domestic violence abusers use cyberstalking to track and target their victims. School bullies take advantage of another form of cyberstalking, called cyberbullying to harass their victims outside of school. "The issue with cyberstalking is that it leads to a greater level of confidence in the person who is doing the stalking. When successes are found online, that can lead to the desire to have success offline as well. When that happens, dangerous situations are more likely to occur, including violent acts" (Gaille). Unfortunately, cyberstalking isn't just something that has been occurring in the recent years, "In 1999, a New Hampshire woman was murdered by the cyberstalker who had threatened her in e-mail messages and posted on his Web site that he would kill her" (Rouse).
Alas, anyone can fall victim to both identity fraud and cyberstalking, even the employees and students at GTCC. Something as seemingly innocent as sharing your email address, could make one susceptible to identity theft and cyberstalking. Public profiles, social networking, directories, and forms can put students and employees at risk. To decrease the risk of identity theft and cyberstalking, refrain from posting personal data on network services, take advantage of enabling privacy settings, and do not post itineraries. In the unfortunate event of becoming a victim of identity theft or cyberstalking, use public telephones and computers to report it. "If you're being cyberstalked, remember to keep a copy of any message or online image that could serve as proof" (Merritt). Identity theft and cyber stalking are crimes, and should be reported to the authorities.