Education is the Best Way to Prevent Identity Theft?

Answer 1

With technology becoming more advanced and playing a vital role in everyday life, identity theft has become easier than ever. While serious cases of identity theft don't happen frequently, countless people fall victim to some form of identity theft everyday. Identity theft includes any activity that involves the use of someone's personal information without his or her permission in order to commit fraud. This information could be a Social Security number, credit card information, name or address, just to name a few. It is a common misconception that avoiding the internet is enough to prevent identity theft, but that is sadly untrue. Identity theft can happen in a number of ways and only by educating oneself can identity theft be prevented.

Cyber security plays a major role in identity theft. It is common practice for individuals to use the same password for every single website and account. While this certainly makes it easier to remember login information, it also makes it easier to steal someone's identity. Major websites, such as Amazon and Google have serious security to prevent hackers from getting login information, but smaller websites, such as forums, have significantly less. If someone uses the same login information on these smaller websites, hackers are then able to login to accounts that are much more dangerous in enemy hands, such as email accounts. Once someone has access to another person's email, they have access to everything registered under that email, such as online banking, social networking accounts and sites like Amazon where credit card information is stored.

Identity theft can also occur at restaurants. When the time comes to pay the bill, many use credit cards. Technological advances have allowed individuals to attach small scanners to iPods and other smart phones in order to scan credit cards. All it takes is 20 seconds and the person has everything they need to know about the bank account. Though it is impossible to always pay in cash, people should pay close attention to their bank statements in order to catch any fraudulent activity.