Identity Theft Many People in the United

Identity Theft

Many people in the United States and around the world have become the victims of identity theft. This is a crime wherein a person pretends to be someone else by assuming their identity in order to obtain money and other benefits that should belong to the person whose identity they are taking (Michael 2012). Often, the person whose identity is stolen can become financially damaged by the theft, particularly if they are held accountable for the other person's actions. Identity theft is a notoriously difficult crime to prove. Victims frequently do not know they have been targeted until days, weeks, or even months after the crime was committed. Because of this, the date of the crime is hard to determine and the person responsible even more difficult to detect.

According to the article "Men Plead Guilty to Identity Theft Crimes that Included Ventura County Victims," (2013) a large crime ring from California was involved in widespread cases of identity theft and six of the members of the gang were caught and put on trial for their crimes, although only two were part of the trial referenced in this article. This is a common aspect of identity theft. Although some thefts are performed by individuals, syndicates of criminals use technology to steal identities, often through hacking computers and online networks. These criminals were part of a gang who targeted victims all through California, including cases in San Diego and as far north as San Francisco. Crimes occurred in eight different counties between late 2010 up to the middle of 2012. In this particular case, the criminals were able to install cameras in areas which had automatic teller machines (ATMs). This allowed them to see the personal identification numbers (PINs) of the people using the ATMs and to then use those PINs to take the money from the victim's bank accounts. This was done by installing a device called a skimmer which is a machine that reads card information on top of the bank's own card reader. In the ATM vestibules chosen, the doors could only be opened by swiping a debit card at the door and then entering. The skimmer would then record the card information and the gang could then use it with the acquired PINs and just take whatever was in the bank account. More than 1,000 people were victimized by this group who took in more than $300,000.

In this case, the banks were the target because the criminals knew that people believe their information is safe because they are at a bank. They see mirrors and security cameras and the doors which require a debit card to enter and assume that their money and financial safe is secure within the walls of the bank. The criminals played on this belief in order to steal the life savings of innocent people. Some of the victims were completely wiped out by the actions of the criminals and what is more, some of them were not even reimbursed for the theft by the banks. Although the banks did some work to protect people by enacting the security measures mentioned, they did not do checks on their equipment to ensure that their customers were protected. Those working in the bank should have been aware that the skimmer was put in place or that there were cameras in the vestibules not controlled by the bank.