Page 258 - Sociology and You

228 Unit 2 Culture and Social Structures
Look Out
for
Identity
Thieves!
One of the newest forms of deviance is “identity theft.” An identity thief “steals” credit information belonging to another person, then commits fraud with it. The results for victims can be devastating.
In testimony before the Maryland legislature, one couple reported that a thief used their credit cards to purchase five automobiles. Graciela has been a victim of identity theft for more than ten years. A thief gained access to her Social Security number, birth certificate, and driver’s license. With this information, the imposter has obtained credit cards, purchased furniture, bought cars, and obtained welfare. (All of these examples, and more, are available through the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, http://www.privacyrights.org, a nonprofit group for consumers’ privacy rights.)
Beth Givens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse explains that iden- tity theft can occur in many ways. A thief can steal a wallet or purse, get copies of credit card slips from trash, or steal someone’s mail. There are also high-tech methods of identity theft. The most common method is to illegally gain access to credit rating company computers. These companies maintain credit reports that provide valuable infor- mation about a consumer—Social Security number, birth date, credit card numbers, and address. Although credit rating companies try to prevent high-tech identity theft, the very nature of their service makes this information accessible through computer terminals. This access is an open invitation to criminals.
The victims of identity theft obviously suffer great damage. Unless the thief is caught in the act, there seems to be little the po- lice can do to stop this kind of crime. Many victims also have to deal with abusive collection agencies. It has taken some people ten years or more to clean up the mess the thieves have created. Victims are often scarred emotionally and re- port feelings of violation, hopelessness, and great anger.
The goal of today’s identity thieves is to get items at no cost, not to take over the victims’ identities. But what if identity theft also involved losing one’s identity? What would happen if a person’s identity were actually “stolen“? This was the topic of a film called The Net. In this movie, a woman’s entire identity is erased. The villains in the movie steal the documents that would prove her identity and de- stroy all of her existing computer records. Using her photo- graph and Social Security number, they create a whole new identity for her, including a new name, a bad credit report, and a criminal record. As the woman in the movie says, “They knew everything about me. It was all on the Internet.”
Analyzing the Trends
Which theoretical perspective would be most useful in analyzing identity theft? Explain your choice, and apply that perspective to the issue of identity theft.