Identity Theft Victimization

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With the continued transition of commerce, business transactions, communication, and personal activities into the digital world there will also be an increase in cybercrime and victimization. Information has become a commodity, to be bought and sold just like any other, and therefore it has become the target of theft as much as anything else of value. Traditional methods of theft are still the primary means for criminals to access the personal identification information (PII) that they will use to commit identity (ID) theft. There are an array of crimes that are possible after a criminal or terrorists successfully subsumes a new identity, and more often than not identity theft is a platform to enable more criminal acts while avoiding detection …show more content…

Britz notes, in Computer Forensics and Cyber Crime that “…identity theft/fraud has significant national security implications in the areas of border crossing and immigration; airlines and other modes of public transportation; flight and other specialized training; personal, commercial, or Hazmat licenses.” (Britz, 2013) While there has been a continued increase in ID theft via digital means, but people seem to have …show more content…

Criminals can use stolen or fake identities to perpetrate other crimes like money laundering and embezzlement, but they can also be used by criminals to avoid capture and prosecution by the authorities. Though digital ID theft is a booming industry, physical identity theft is the most common way for PII to be located by criminals, and there are many ways for the physical theft to take place. Mail theft, dumpster diving, theft of computers, bag operations, child identity theft, are just some of the ways that PII can be exposed. Some of the specific steps in a digital forensics investigation at corporations, including those that deal with ID theft, includes securing the area, collection evidence, use of computer and network forensic tools to locate information on the suspect, and the preparation of reports for the higher ups as well as the police. Finally, a security plan should be developed that includes policy, procedure, creation of a hardened system, as well as identification of and responses to identity theft incidents. All of these are important aspects of a well-rounded security plan for the physical and digital protection of personal identification information and prevention of identity

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