There
are many dangers related to New Media and one of the biggest dangers to me is
identity theft. Since new media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Ebay and
Craigslist there has been a rise in identity thefts. Identity theft can cost
the victim financially and destroy his/her credit. According to Long Island
Susan Pemberton was charged with attempting to steal a number of victims
identity’s through false Craigslist Ads. Long Island also states that Susan
posted ads for fake jobs/apartments in order to steal information from people
and file numerous fraudulent state income tax returns. Susan had requested more
than $500,000 dollars in tax refunds. According to Long Island Susan had an
accomplice Cynthia Sibert, and between the two of them they we able to steal
$75,000 by applying for bank loans and credit cards with stolen identity’s.
This all happened between February 2010 and October 2011 and the two would send
applications for their fake apartments/jobs requesting personal information
which they then used to file 250 fraudulent tax returns. Many people do not
realize how easy it is for criminals to steal someone’s identity through new
media. There are many different ways a person can protect themselves from the
possibility of having their identity stolen. I personally do not believe that
this problem will be solved, but the only way to help prevent this from
happening is by making people more aware of this problem and the steps to
prevent it from happening to them. Eo network states that you should never, ever
give out your social security number or driver’s license numbers and change
your password regularly. Avoid listing personal information such as hometown,
birthdate, email address, phone number on new media sites. It is important to
make sure you location is off when posting on social media sites to prevent
criminals from learning about your location. Always be aware of the information
you put online.
Works Cited
Anderson,
Eric. "Woman Sentenced for Multiple Craigslist Identity Scams." EO
Network. N.p., 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
"How
Social Media Networks Facilitate Identity Theft and Fraud ." How
Social Media Networks Facilitate Identity Theft and Fraud | Entrepreneurs'
Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
I totally agree with you. This is a very serious and dangerous side of Social Media. I don't even want to think about what could possibly happen to me if someone stole my identity and I had no way to disprove them or stop them.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point about mentioning that people should be aware of what information they put on websites like Facebook.
There is a story I have heard about thieves that would rob peoples homes while they were on vacation and the way they would find out when they were gone was through monitoring their social media accounts.
Another way people can protect themselves is to apply for additional anti-theft services offered by some companies like Life-Lock. I think some credit card companies and banks also might offer something but for an additional fee. The small fee is worth have the extra security sometimes though, when you realize how much you could possibly lose.