Identity theft is the stealing of one’s sensitive personal information such as passwords, username, banking information, credit card number, or driver’s license number with the intent to commit fraud. Thieves employ many tactics to get their hands on reliable, available information. Some tactics include creating emails and websites that look like legitimate messages and sites from real banks and fool customers into giving up sensitive financial data, hacking into the data bases of government and private entities, and social media websites, stealing thousands of sensitive information of the employees and customers.

Identity thief will live and work using the victim’s whole identity. The thief will gain access to the victim’s account and run up a huge bill before the victim knows there is a problem. The thief can also open new credit cards and max out the credit in the victim’s name. The internet has made it easier for an identity thief to use stolen data because transactions can be made without any personal interaction. The thief can commit serious crimes creating criminal records for the victim. The victim is unable to rent an apartment, get a job, qualify for a mortgage, and buy a car. The victim’s life has been altered.

Usually, it is difficult to find these perpetrators and the law enforcement cannot clear the mess they created for the victims. The burden of proving innocence rests on the shoulders of the victim. The victims feel violated, helpless and are scarred emotionally because their lives have been altered.

While it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk, there are ways to reduce the risk of identity theft. Law enforcement agencies can implement community awareness programs to educate the public on identity theft prevention and the process of recovery. To help the victims in resolving the consequences “Identity Theft Recovery Centers” can be established in certain locations. Anti-theft software which is applicable to the computers and mobile phones and which will detect the identity theft activity can be developed and made user friendly. Sensitive personal information stored in the data based should be intricately encrypted and access to these data bases should be restricted to prevent the hackers. Financial institutions should also offer long term loans with low interest rates because it will take time and money for the victims to resolve the impact of the theft.

https://wikis.engrade.com/cyberscams

http://www.utica.edu/academic/institutes/cimip/idcrimes/schemes.cfm

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-01-28/news/36596576_1_financial-data-online-identity-theft-personal-information

When we are online we are all open to the the threats that come online. Rather it’s cyber bullying, cyber stalkers, or just not being safe in the things we do online we all have that threat. One specific area where change is needed as soon as possible is on the landscapes we use online like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram and other social media tools free of bullies and a playground for people of all ages, all races whether male or female feel safe with the same sense of security we have in our homes. We need to get control of what the internet is being used for and stop all these kids; that one day might be your kid from being bullied online. Let start with being smart about what we do online, where we do it, and how we do it. Even if we do that we still have the problem of cyber bullying, identity thief, stalkers, suicide caused by something that happen online, and even crimes that use the help of the internet and social media. The 2008–09 School Crime Supplement (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics) states that 6% of students grades 6–12 has been cyber bully. The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey states that 16% of high school students were victim of cyber bullying in the past year. Federal Trade Commission releases survey of Identity Theft in U.S. 27.3 Million Victims in past 5 Years. Half of which could have been prevented which the help of our Internet Police Department. According to www.independent.co.uk police think that they are wasting time investigating Facebook squabbles. The police force will not have to worry about Facebook or other cyber crimes with the help of the Internet Police Department. One day the world we know so well today will change for the better. There will be no more crimes; both cyber crimes and on the streets. School and cyber bullying will become a thing of the past that our grandchildren will look back at in history and be ashamed of. The Internet Police Department would have took our cyber world and made it a better and safer place.

http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html 11/20/2013. Web.

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/09/idtheft.shtm September 3, 2003. 11/22/2013. Web.

http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/ComputerCrime 11/22/2013. Web.

Some would say that the television and media is a wonderful source too help keep one informed about things going on in the world around them. Others will say that it’s a form of entertainment and it’s the only thing worth watching on their spare time. But what many don’t know is how much of an impact that information given has on the mind. The way this happens is that it provides easy access to the subconscious mind, reduces the ability for us to analyze the information that is being directed towards us. The crazy part is that you have no control over what is coming into your mind. Some information may be good, and a lot of it may be bad. From the moment that you turn on your television, you go into a hypnotic state. And because of this, you can get influenced by negative messages. Experiments conducted by researcher Herbert Krugman reveal that when a person watches television, brain activity switches from the left to the right hemisphere. The left hemisphere is the seat of logical thought. Here, information is broken down into its component parts and critically analyzed. The right brain, however, treats incoming data uncritically, processing information in wholes, leading to emotional, rather than logical responses. This results in little or analysis of the information. In other words, its like someone telling you something and you believe them without doing your own research. One other thing to consider is that the shift from left to right brain activity also causes the release of endorphins, the body’s own natural opiates, and because of that it is possible to become physically addicted to watching television. Turn on your local newscast. You have a few minutes of blue-collar crime, hardly any white collar crime, a few minutes of sports, misc. chit chat, random political jibber-jabber, and a look at the weather that no one is forecasting correctly. A lot of the information that these news channel project towards the audience are mainly negative. The stories focus on minority criminal groups, and exploit the real threat to appear much more dangerous than they are. It’s as if the focus is to keep us in a state of fear. Local and network news owners, producers, and editors understand that fear sells. The results are desired ratings, delivered like expected. Its as if your mind is being controlled on a massive scale psychologically, and our society is conditioned to be one with a tv, radio, or paper.

So what is the solution to fixing this problem? For one, it is that we must recognize the truth about why the system is flawed. The most important fighting this type of brainwashing and mind control is to start with ourselves and our own awakening in the smaller things. Don’t let this negative information have an impact on you. Don’t become a part of it. Don’t allow it too change the way you perceive the world around you. Through realization, you have the power to awaken.

Here are some interesting videos to check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m71m-LBqFQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NseyKyAv3S0#t=309

Detrimental effects have arisen because of the improper use of social media, such as an increase in cyber bulling and family disengagement behaviors. A solution to remedy this concern is the incorporation of social media education into school curriculum and as part of an interactive disclaimer prior to launching any social media site. This intervention can help to inform and support people in becoming socially aware about the effects of improper social media usage.

Youth are more susceptible in becoming victims to cyber bullying because of a study conducted by Robert Tokunaga, which found that over 97% of youth in the U.S are connected to the internet. According to Cynthia Thaler, over 40% of adolescents have experienced cyber bulling.  The effects of this type of harassment include an increased risk of suicidal ideation, substance use, violence, and unsafe sexual behaviors.

In addition to cyber bullying, increased social media usage has been attributed to the growing divide within families.  According to Jim Taylor, children are no longer relying on parents to communicate because of their absorption with social media sites.  It provides a forum to interact with others.  Some parents may not have the proficiency to navigate these sites because of their digital immigrant status and withdraw from their child’s online activities.  This indirectly offers them a sense of independence, thus, compromising the parent/child relationship dynamic.  Taylor found that the more social media is used to discuss problems, the more likely that depressive symptoms will develop because it gives people the platform to dwell on issues without offering resolve.

Education can help mitigate the dangers than can transpire when social media sites are utilized inappropriately.  Not only would it teach people about the findings from a study, conducted by Hinduja & Patchin, that victims of cyber bullying are almost twice as likely to attempt suicide, it would also help users identify the early signs of harassment so that they are able to disengage from the situation prior to it escalating.  Social media education would also inform people about the ramifications of limited family interaction and learn about the early signs of depression so that immediate action can be taken to alleviate such symptoms.

Social media education will be executed in two ways. The first will be by incorporating it into middle school education, since the minimum age requirement to take part in the social media realm is thirteen for most sites.  Social media education will be executed differently for those that have surpassed secondary schooling by way of interactive disclaimers. People will be prompted to read modules and complete quizzes before given access to register for the site.

Overall, including social media education into the classrooms and as a prerequisite prior to registering for the sites would help raise awareness about the benefits and pitfalls that can occur if used inappropriately.  Understanding the repercussions can help people develop a sense of moral obligation and persuade them to act more responsibly and be one step closer in contributing to a healthier society.

Works Cited
Hinduja, Sameer and Justin Patchin. “Bullying, Cyberbulling, and Suicide.”
Taylor, Jim. “Is Technology Creating a Family Divide?”
Taylor, Jim. “The Bad, the Ugly, and the Good of Children’s Use of Social Media”
Thaler, Cynthia. “Bullying in a Networked Era: Research Views on Scope and Frequency of Cyberbullying”
Tokunaga, Robert. “Follow You Home from School: A Critical Review and Synthesis of Research on Cyberbullying Victimization.”

Cyberstalking has been an increasing problem in the United States. People get stalked online now in days and many of those people are dangerous and may be convicted felons. The problems I had with this essay was getting a lot of information to back up what I was trying to explain. For example, I did have the issue that Ms.Carla Franklin went through by having an ex date stalk her around. Even him acquiring her email address and password to send messages to her colleagues with explicit content. The article shows the harshness of people that wish to ruin peoples lives simply for jealousy .(Pesta, 2012) http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/12/busting-a-cyberstalker-how-carla-franklin-fought-back.html.

State government have set up new laws to prevent cyber stalking. Its hard to tell if it will work because its very soon to know but I believe if the word spreads and the people are aware that there are consequences for their actions online, there will be a positive affect.  The consequences consist of jail time no longer than one year in the state prison or county prison. Also you will have a record that states you were a cyber stalker.The police in this case have become very helpful because they now have the power to file a report and make sure they find the victim’s cyber stalkers. There have been cases in which cyber stalkers are in fact serial killers. It’s best to note any suspicious behavior online and try avoiding it. Here are the laws that have gone into affect because of cyber stalkers. http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/cyberstalking-and-cyberharassment-laws.aspx

There are many things to do when trying to avoid cyber stalking. One of which would be, being careful on who you meet. Try to get to know the person before you trust them with anything.Specially, trusting them with your telephone number or anything in general that can put you at risk or in danger.. Making sure that your privacy settings are set in your social media networks will guarantee avoiding cyber stalkers. The small things as in changing your password every three months are the once that count when trying to avoid being a stalkers victim. You should always trust your instinct when it comes to your well being. Here are some tips on how to avoid cyber stalking.http://www.apc.org/en/node/12285

When people use social media to post when, and what they are doing, their risk of becoming a victim of internet stalking is much higher. Therefore, impulse sharing should be replaced by selective sharing. There are many risk to sharing too much personal information on social media cites, such as internet stalking, identity theft, home robbery. When people know when and where you are going to be, they can either stalk you, or potentially rob your home while you are away. This is possible due to over sharing through media sites such as Facebook, twitter, Instagram etc.
Internet sites have done all the work for them, with Facebook you can gain access not to just a name and face, but to their address, phone numbers, email address, children and relatives. Also with users constantly updating their media feed you can find out when and where they have been or where they plan on going. All this done through access of social networks, that where created for the use of personal connection among friends and family. According to Hemanshu Nigam, a former federal prosecutor in Washington D.C. “They are using the anonymity of the Internet to do the things they would never do offline”. A stalker would not be able to accomplish all this and have such power if it weren’t for the website lack of user privacy in accessing personal information.
Cyber stalking can and has led to identity theft given that a stalker can pull digital footprints and gather sensitive data to be used in malicious ways, creating profiles, and opening accounts. Digital footprints left on the social networks make it a crime of opportunity. With the websites wanting to know as much as possible about the user for advertising purposes that same information can and has been used in cases to steal someone’s identity. Basic information such as Full name, date of birth, hometown, relationship status, school locations and graduation dates, pet names can all be used to misuse ones identity.
People don’t have to learn the hard way they can be educated on the subject of oversharing as to not fall victim to robbery. It does not mean, don’t post anything that’s what the networks where created for to share, just limit what you share and to who. When posting updates you should limit your location check-ins, strangers don’t need to know where you live. There are websites that can help track your movement based on your twitter account, and other media sites. The more people are educated on the subject of oversharing, the less risk they are to potentially being victim. Impulse sharing should be replaced by selective sharing. This also takes away from the predators out there that their purpose is to ruin people’s names, identities, and lives. Oversharing has cost people, but it does not have to cost you.

There is a controversy on whether technology should be used in schools or not. I feel that having technology in classrooms is investing in the future and will help children with learning and help teachers. Computers can assist students in homework and with their Math and English skills to not only help improve standardized test scores, but also their learning as well. The society in which we live in is constantly changing in many ways due to our constant advances in technology, just look at the way that we function at home, work, and school. Technology has developed into one of the most valuable and essential tool in our society and is growing each day. So why not use it in areas such as education. With all of this, there is numerous feed back of how technology has already helped education tremendously. For instance in the article, “New Technology Helping Schools Achieve Individually Tailored Education”, it states “systems can tailor classroom experience and lesson plans to individuals. Even in the largest high schools, they can help make each student’s educational experience unique.” http://www.neworleanssun.com/index.php/sid/216815116/scat/f88c9243e04ea4db

Technology is becoming a useful skill, which many education systems are being to use more technology in their classrooms such as computers, tablets, smart boards, and projectors. We now all have the ability to obtain information and learning tools that are fingertips away. Computers allow students to learn through exploring the internet and doing research. The act of looking up information and researching papers with such an extensive resource can keep students engaged in a project and learning far longer than they would with a set of encyclopedias. According to International Business Times, The U.S. was ranked 17th in an assessment of the education systems of 50 countries, behind several Scandinavian and Asian nations, which claimed the top spots.http://www.ibtimes.com/us-17th-global-education-ranking-finland-south-korea-claim-top-spots-901538. The best solution to this crisis is to invest in our education system. If every school at least had a computer lab with enough computers for every student, and every classroom went twice a week to do research or a project or to type an essay. It  should start in the first grade and have programs were students do homework on the computer. Teaching kids to use technology at an early age makes them smarter and opens their mind to the world and to modern technology. Technology has been improving our education system, more students are having an opportunity to learn more and get help online. The government is sitting up educational initiative to help improve our educational systems.http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/education-data-initiative/.  Education is an incredibly debatable topic amongst parents and society.