What Is Identity Theft Definition, Laws, and Prevention

Identity theft is the illegal use of someone’s personal information for individual gain. Also known as identity fraud, this type of theft can cost a victim time and money. Identity thieves target information like names, dates of birth, drivers licenses, social security cards, insurance cards, credit cards, and bank information. They use the stolen information to gain access to existing accounts and open new accounts. Identity theft is on the rise. The Federal Trade Commission received over 440,000 reports of identity theft in 2018, 70,000 more than in 2017. A study conducted by an independent advisory firm found that  16.7 million people in the U.S. were victims of identity theft in 2017, an 8% increase from the previous year. The financial losses totaled over $16.8 billion. Key Takeaways: Identity Theft Identity theft, also known as identity fraud, is when someone steals personal information to use for their own benefit, typically financial gain.Identity theft covers multiple types of fraud including bank fraud, medical fraud, credit card fraud, and utility fraud.If someone has been the victim of identity theft, they should report it immediately to the Federal Trade Commission, local law enforcement, and the companies where the fraud occurred.Protections against identity theft include strong passwords, shredders, frequent credit reports, and suspicious activity alerts. Identity Theft Definition Identity theft covers a range of  fraudulent  acts. Some common types of identity theft include credit card fraud, phone and utility fraud, insurance fraud, bank fraud, government benefits fraud, and medical fraud. An identity thief might open an account in someone’s name, file taxes on their behalf to receive the refund, or use their credit card number to make online purchases. Stolen bank account information might be used to pay utilities or phone bills. In addition, an identity thief could use stolen insurance information to access medical care. In very rare and serious circumstances, an identity thief might use someone  else’s name in a criminal proceeding. Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act and Legal Implications Before the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998, identity thieves were prosecuted for specific crimes like stealing mail or producing fake replicas of government documents. The Act made identity theft a separate federal crime and gave it a broad definition. According to the act, an identity thief knowingly transfers or uses, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of Federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable State or local law. Outside of defining identity theft, the Act also gave the Federal Trade Commission the ability to monitor complaints and offer resources to victims of identity theft. In federal courts, identity theft is punishable by up to 15 years in prison or $250,000 in fines. Financial Consequences for the Victim Identity theft can have financial consequences for the victim. The cost to the victim depends on when the crime is reported and how it occurred. States generally do not hold a victim responsible for charges made to a new account opened in their name  without their knowledge. States also limit the amount of money someone can lose if fraudulent checks are issued on their behalf. The federal government protects victims of credit card theft by limiting the cost of unauthorized use to $50. If someone notices their credit card has been stolen but no charges have been made, reporting it to the proper  authorities will waive the cost of any future unauthorized charges. Debit cards have different standards that depend on timing. If someone notices their debit card is missing and notifies their bank immediately, before any charges are made, they are not liable for future fraudulent charges on that card. If they report unauthorized use within two days, their maximum loss is $50. If they wait more than two days but no longer than 60 days after receiving their bank statement, they are responsible for up to $500 in charges. Waiting for more than 60 days can result in unlimited liability. How to Report Identity Theft There are multiple ways to take action if you suspect private information related to your identity has been compromised. Document the theft. This means keeping track of when and where you last used your debit or credit card. Document fraudulent charges. If you receive a bill for a medical service or a credit card you don’t own, do not discard it.Contact your bank for financial fraud. Freeze your accounts as soon as you believe they have been compromised. A bank may place an alert on your account and send you a new card if yours has been stolen.Contact offices related to accounts opened illegally in your name. Let the office know that your name has been used to open an unauthorized account and follow the designated  procedure.Notify credit reporting companies. Every victim is entitled to an initial 90-day  fraud alert that requires companies  using your credit report to take extra precautions verifying anyone applying for new credit with your information. There are three national credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and Transunion. You can notify any individual bureau and they will notify oth ers.Create an identity theft report. You will need to fill out a complaint, affidavit, and report for local law enforcement. The FTC  has an identity theft website devoted to walking victims through these steps. Other reporting tactics include seven-year extended fraud alerts, requesting copies of your credit report, and blocking fraudulent information from appearing on your credit report. Identity Theft Protection There are many ways for identity thieves to get hold of personal information, but certain safeguards may help keep your personal information safe.   Keep your cards in a secure location.Use strong passwords and two-factor identification when possible while using online accounts.Don’t use the same password for every account.Check your credit score and credit reports frequently.Don’t enter your bank information or credit card number on sites that you do not recognize.Use shredders to destroy personal documents.Set up  Ã¢â‚¬Å"suspicious activity†Ã‚  alerts on your bank accounts. Sources Statement of Rights for Identity Theft Victims, The Federal Trade Commission. www.ovc.gov/pdftxt/IDTrightsbooklet.pdfâ€Å"Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act.†Ã‚  Federal Trade Commission, 12 Aug. 2013, www.ftc.gov/node/119459#003.â€Å"Identity Fraud Hits All Time High With 16.7 Million U.S. Victims in 2017, According to New Javelin Strategy Research Study.†Ã‚  Javelin Strategy Research, www.javelinstrategy.com/press-release/identity-fraud-hits-all-time-high-167-million-us-victims-2017-according-new-javelin.â€Å"Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2018.†Ã‚  Federal Trade Commission, 11 Mar. 2019, www.ftc.gov/reports/consumer-sentinel-network-data-book-2018.â€Å"Identity Theft.†Ã‚  The United States Department of Justice, 7 Feb. 2017, www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/identity-theft/identity-theft-and-identity-fraud.OConnell, Brian. â€Å"How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft.†Ã‚  Experian, 18 June 2018, www.experian.com/blogs/ask-e xperian/how-to-protect-yourself-from-identity-theft/.

Immortal Beloved Essay - 707 Words

After seeing the acclaimed film, Amadeus, based loosely on the life of the child prodigy and great composer Mozart, the next best or potentially better choice had to be Immortal Beloved, a film focused on the equally amazing Ludwig van Beethoven and his infamous letters to an unknown lover. The sequences of events in the movie were largely intertwined. The movie begins with the death of Beethoven and proceeds with a friend and employee of Beethoven obsessed with justifying the rightful will of Beethoven’s assets and estate to an unknown lover. Avoiding Beethoven’s greedy brother, he travels around to meet with Beethoven’s previous lovers, listening to the tale of each, becoming closer to the truth as the movie moves forward. The stories†¦show more content†¦It is then revealed that a few small events had altered their path to happiness in the beginning, ultimately fueling some of Beethoven’s passion. This only makes the deaf composer’s life more unbearable. As one would expect, the movies trickles famous Beethoven clips throughout the movie in places where they seem a good fit. This is in contrast to when Beethoven plays the performances. In one great scene, Beethoven plays â€Å"Moonlight Sonata† , in a seemingly empty room, with his head on the top of the piano, perhaps to feel the vibrations that he cannot hear. One clever use of music in the movie is when Beethoven’s pieces move characters to tears, brings about healing, or change the way they look at the world. A movement plays, and a specific character describes its uncommon effect. Furthermore, Beethoven’s works depict parts of his life and expresses incredible feelings and states of mind through the music itself. The film helps you to realize this by playing corresponding events during the pieces. Once again, I loved the movie. The acting, cinematography, and specific renditions of the pieces were very good. 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It is fair to say that the mind may wonder when one dies what exactly happens to the beloved soul, the giver of life often thought of as the very essence of life does it live on beyond the body, or does it die with it? Does the soulRead MoreSummary : Immortality Of The Soul 1542 Words   |  7 Pages Socrates lived on generations after his time. Phaedo begins with Socrates addressing his death and stating a true philosopher should look forward to death. He asserts that the soul is immortal and the philosopher spends his life training and detaching itself from the needs of the body. This topic, of â€Å"an immortal soul†, has co ntinued to be discussed. There are various works and dialogues about this topic, but the Phaedo explains it best. Death is defined as the separation of the body from the soul

Sharpes company Essay Example For Students

Sharpes company Essay (Talking to Sharpe) Listen Englishman, I can keep a house, but not for a man who laughs at me (Challenging Hakeswill when he is trying to rape her) The girl was nearly on to him. She had guts, for a Portuguese bitch, and he twisted to one side to avoid the lunge of the bayonet In the film, Teresa relies on Sharpe more, she is more like a normal woman and she waits for Sharpe to come and save her. This again makes Sharpes character look heroic. She also wears more womanly clothes in the film; this is done to appeal to males. The actress playing Teresa is also older than I had expected. I dont think the character of Teresa was cast very well. Teresa has a smaller part in the film than she does in the novel and most of her scenes were changed. This made the film worse than the novel. Knowles was not included in the book; the reason for this was that the scriptwriter maybe didnt think that it was necessary to employ an actor for only one or two scenes. Also, Knowles dies and this wasnt shown in the film. This was probably because the film was rated PG and was shown before the 9pm watershed. Another person who was not included was Leroy. He wasnt included because his character was American and British people might not have wanted to see an America man fighting with the English and making out that he was also a hero. The language in the novel and the language in the film were also very different. The Officers language was more formal in the novel. The language on screen has been made more up to date and modern. This is so people can understand the language and can watch the film instead of having to think what the character was saying, meanwhile losing track of the film. There is no swearing in the film because it is a PG. This takes away the effectiveness because, if men were fighting and people were trying to rape their wives they would swear. There is more use of Spanish and French in the film. Subtitles can be used whereas, in a book, you cant have subtitles. This makes the film more effective because it is all about an army attacking the French and the Spanish to get to a place in Spain (Badajoz). Music is used instead of description in some places. I dont think this is very effective because you dont usually realise the music is there unless it is very powerful. Sometimes the music was good because it related to what was going on. Other times the music didnt seem to relate at all. The makers of the film Sharpes Company would have encountered many problems during filming including characters, setting, audience and technicalities. Characters: The casting would have been a problem, getting actors who fitted the description of characters in the book. I dont think they overcame this very well with a few of the characters. Setting: It would have been extremely expensive to construct sets like those described in the novel. The set would have to be in a believable location. They couldnt have chosen Badajoz today because it is a modern town which looks nothing like it did in the war. Also, cast and crew couldnt be moved very far because of expenses. Audience: The audience also played a very big part in the filming. No sex, violence or swearing because of the PG rating and the watershed. Sean Bean was cast to attract women and the theme of fighting attracted men. Technicalities: Because there were lots of soldiers in the novel and the budget couldnt stretch to employ lots of actors, different camera angles could be used to create the illusion of more men. .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 , .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 .postImageUrl , .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 , .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17:hover , .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17:visited , .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17:active { border:0!important; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17:active , .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17 .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ucdd2414f75d71f1c1e3e65307fde6d17:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Documentary - Bowling for Columbine EssayI dont think this was very effective. I have considered everything and my main reason for choosing the novel over the film is that the novel is more descriptive and exiting. Even though there was more waiting in the novel, the end result was better. The characters were completely different to what I had imagined, especially Hakeswill. None of the gory parts could be shown in the film, which made it less exiting. I think it would be worth including all of the swearing and the gory bits and making the film an 18, this would make the film as good as the novel, if not better.