Identity Theft in America

Taxes are due here in the United States in the next week or so and millions of people are getting tax refunds from the Federal Government. But even though billions are being refunded to credible accounts almost 4 billion dollars’ worth of “bogus” tax refunds are being given to fraudulent accounts around the nation.

            According to FOX News, over 1500 new investigations were opened throughout the year of 2013. That is an increase of almost 70% in just a year (FOX News). Hackers and scammers take get people’s private account through Social Security numbers and then create account in which they can obtain government money during tax season. Identity theft is growing worse and worse as technology gets better. Criminals go to hacking because it is easier to get away with. It is near impossible to track down good hackers and some of this money is not going to be found at all.

            People might think that only certain people can have their identities stolen. This is completely not true. Even high government officials can be targeted in these attacks. A story also written by FOX News tells us that even America’s own Attorney General, Eric Holder, can get his identity stolen. Now the people who tried to get Eric Holder’s information were caught pretty easily which in most cases is not the case.

            Most people find out about identity theft way too late. Unless people have a good grip on where there money is going and who has control of their money or somebody has Life Lock, anybody can have their identity stolen. It could wreck a person’s credit score which would make it very hard for people to get loans to buy a car or a house. It can ruin a person’s life if not handled in the right manor. You can never underestimate the sneakiness of these thieves and you might lose a lot of the things you worked very hard for to get in the first place.

            The first thing a person needs to know about identity theft is that it CAN happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter if that person is tall, short, rich, or poor, it can always happen. Also, people need to know how to protect themselves in a case of this happening. Whether it is signing up for a theft prevention company such as Life Lock or some other way people need to protect themselves. If people can remember these things they should be in good shape and not have to worry about the consequences of identity theft.