Assignment 2: Identity Theft by

Introduction

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-20 22:47:58 UTC

Hello! My name is Frances and welcome to my padlet wall about identity theft. Here you will learn:

How to protect yourself from identity theft
The types of identity theft
How auto fraud is caused by identity theft
Identity fraud in the Indigenous community
Videos of news reports about identity theft
Infographic images about identity theft
Who to contact if you or anyone are a victim
My thoughts about this topic

Website 1: Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-21 20:20:28 UTC

According to the website, the definition of identity theft is when someone from a third party has illegally used your personal information. These includes sensitive information including social insurance number, address, date of birth, etc. The website also list of ways you can do to protect yourself and others from identity theft. It also mentions phishing scams, which are emails that looks like from an official company but has malicious intent. Please be careful when clicking on a link from an email you are not expecting to receive. There is also a list of ways to minimize risk. At the bottom of the website, there are phone numbers and ways for you to do if you think your identity has been stolen.

The reason why I chose this website is because it is made by the government of Canada. In other words, I trust this website to be informative and helpful for many Canadians who would want to know what to do when they or anyone they know fall victim to identity fraud. This website is short and has a bullet point list to make it easy to read and understand which I like.

Website 2: Types of Identity Theft

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-23 23:47:22 UTC

This website is about the numerous types of identity theft, and it highlights the different ways your personal information is stolen, to be cautious of when your information is being asked from suspicious emails, phone calls, mails, and text messages, and to always review your bank account such as credit reports and credit card statements. This website talks about the different financial frauds that relates to identity theft, it includes tax, child, senior, estate, and criminal identity thefts. Just like the previous website, this one also explains ways to minimize the risks of identity theft.

The reason why I chose this website is because it is made by Equifax, which was one of the contacts you can find at the end of the first website I posted. This website basically adds on from the previous website. It is also very simple and easy to read.

Website 3: Auto Fraud Caused By Identity Theft

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-23 23:55:24 UTC

While at first glance this website may not be about identity theft but after reading through the article, I realized how much of the auto fraud is because of identity theft. This website mentions a report from Equifax Canada and how much fraud specifically on the automotive industry has increased over the years. The article mentions the most common type of illegal action was when a renter changes a part of their credentials. More specifically the employment income. Another more common illegal action is when someone wants to own a car, the person would steal another’s identity. It is also mentioned how popular auto fraud has become because it can be difficult to identify the theft. It is also said when criminals make a new identity, they use real and fake information. There are also dozens of organized crimes that are involved. At the end, it is suggesting to always monitor your accounts for any suspicious activities.

The reason why I chose this website is because it is from Global News, a well-known news company, and they also reference the Equifax Canada. Also, I did not know how much of auto fraud is dependent on identity theft. I decided to share this article on my padlet wall to inform as many people as possible about this kind of crime.

Website 4: Concerns About Indigenous Identity Fraud

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-24 00:01:10 UTC

In this article, CTV News talks about the rising concerns of Indigenous identity fraud because of how the government of Canada defines who is and is not an Indigenous person. Many leaders of these communities have seen the impacts of these frauds, especially at an individual level at work, school and online. There are many people who falsely claim they are from an Indigenous heritage. This, of course, damages the trust from the community. The Indigenous peoples also mention how verifying identities needs to be from the community itself as they understand their culture and heritage better. The article ends on a quote from the Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, that I think is important, “A country grappling with its colonial past and a path forward where people are respected.”

The reason why I chose this website, more specifically this article is because it talks about the Indigenous community. I would have never known that this kind of identity fraud could happen and that many issues are happening in the community. I decided to also share this in my padlet wall to inform everyone about this.

Reflection

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-24 00:04:17 UTC

1. What did you learn about your topic that surprised you the most?

I learned that identity fraud does not only happen to working adults but to children, Indigenous communities, can occur in automotive and real estate or caused by A.I. and organized crime. This very concerning and we need everyone to be aware of such possible fraud.

2. Provide a real-life example of how this topic is relevant or interesting for you.

Fortunately, I have never experience such identity theft, although the video about Tickmaster is very interesting because everyone I knew uses this website to buy tickets for concerts of their favourite music artist. Everyone who uses this website needs to watch that video and be aware of the risks of using it.

3. If you could pass on your knowledge to a family member or friend, what do you think is the most important thing to pass on?

The most important thing I would pass my knowledge of this topic is to be aware of the types of identity theft and what to do such as the resources provided by the websites when you or someone else you know is a victim of the fraud.

Image 1: Protection Guide

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-24 00:35:31 UTC

This image is an infographic that displays a protection guide against identity theft. Based on this image there are five ways to protect yourself. First is conceal. It suggests to only use one credit card and never provide your social security number unless required. Second is track. It suggests downloading an app that tracks your devices to avoid losing them and have a remote lock system so that when your device goes missing it auto locks it. Third is to use VPN. When using a VPN, it protects the user’s personal data from leaking while using the internet. Forth is secure. It suggests avoiding using common words and only use strong passwords. It also suggests using a two-factor authentication. Lastly is monitor. It suggests to often check your activity on your accounts and to set up an alert if any suspicious activity occurs.

The reason why I chose this image is because I like how concise it is. Despite how simple this image looks; it is visually appealing while also very informative. It has a clean look, and the information is well put together. A viewer can learn a lot from this image without being overwhelmed.

Image 2: Stolen Children Identities

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-24 00:37:22 UTC

This image is also an infographic, but this displays how likely a child’s identity is stolen more than an adult. This image has data from a 2012 Javelin study and is provided by the Centre for Identity at the University of Texas at Austin. There are four numbered data that this image provided. One was how at least a child under the age of 18 has their personal information compromised. Another was how likely the social security number was misused or stolen. Thirdly was when their child’s identity was scanned during the study, there was evidence of stolen identity. Lastly, numerous children’s identities showed up in the wrong places. Suggested that it was used for malicious intent.

The reason why I chose this image because I was shocked that there are criminals that will steal children’s identities. Like the previous image, this one is very clean and simple to look at. The information it provided is also well put together and the data is displayed visually and easy to understand. Another reason why I chose to put this on my padlet wall because I want everyone to be aware that it does not matter age, anyone can fall victim in an identity theft.

Video 1: Woman With More Than 20 Identities

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-24 03:11:42 UTC

In this video, news from 2019 by CBC states that a 24-year-old woman named Natalia Bozek is a victim of identity theft. Money from her bank disappeared and about 20 different applications of purchases of expensive items such as an apartment and a car were made. RBC froze Natalia’s bank account then refunded several thousand dollars to Natalia. She asked RBC for credit protection but was decline because they accused her for possibly compromising her account, but Natalia rejects it. The theft was a 26-year-old woman named Deborah, who was accused by Toronto police services in four different areas, was only arrested after Natalia’s case. This angered many of Deborah’s victims as she was only given 90 days in prison, because she could just do it again after her sentence.

The reason why I chose this video because of the video title. The fact that one person could steal this many identities and was only arrested after Natalia’s case frightened me. If four police areas were aware of her, why did it take this long to arrest her and not arrest her after the first victim? How many of her victims was compensated for their loss? Is she still in prison or is she somewhere out there pretending to be another person? Will she ever learn?

Video 2: Ticketmaster Hacked & A.I. the Identity Theft

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-24 03:44:02 UTC

In this video, the news is only a few months old! Global News states that Ticketmaster was hacked for the second time during the summer. The news reporter mentions that your personal information such as name, credit card, address could be compromised. He also said if you recently bought tickets to keep an eye on your bank accounts for any suspicious activity and any apps you use on your mobile devices such as bank accounts to have two-factor authentication to minimize the risks for stolen data. Halfway through the video, the reporters mention A.I. They state that because of how advanced it has become to the point it can mimic a real person’s voice and likeness; identity theft is on the rise. It can copy the voice of someone you know and ask for things such as money. A.I has made scams more difficult to identify who is real or fraud.

The reason why I chose this video because of Ticketmaster. Anyone who goes to music concerts has used this website to purchase tickets. The fact that Ticketmaster was hacked for the second time made me worry about their security. Prices on the website is one thing but the safety of your data is another major problem. I do hope they put more effort in their security to prevent future data breaches.

Video 3: Identity Theft on Your Home

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-24 03:45:21 UTC

In this video, another news by Global News last year about cases on title fraud on houses. The definition of title fraud by the reporter is when a thief steals the title to your house and can now sell your home or apply for a new mortgage against it. In other words, the homeowner’s identity is stolen. It's reported that insurance companies in Toronto are investigating cases of these title frauds are from organized crime groups. These criminals are looking for houses that are unoccupied, high equity value, or low or mortgage free. Afterwards they research the homeowners, steal their identities and create new ones to fool real estate agents and lawyers.

The reason I chose this video is just like the other videos before this one, I did not expect to happen. Purchasing or renting a place is already difficult as it is with how expensive to rent, let alone to buy one. Learning about this news made it even more difficult to look for houses. Also, the fact that it is not just one person but a whole group of criminals is just frustrating. I do hope there is an authentic way to identity if the person is not a fraud or stolen identity.

Video 4: Identities Stolen by Low Interest Rate Scam

francescharlinecuan — 2024-11-24 03:45:59 UTC

This video is 20 minutes long but very informative. It was posted a few years ago by CBC News and it talks about how criminals outside of Canada using low-interest rate to scam Canadians. The news reporter has obtained a list of Canadian with personal information such as SIN, their home address and credit cards. They visited the Canadians on the list to show and explain the use low-interest rate scam. Later, they explain how TransUnion and Equifax have credit monitoring to alert Canadians if someone tries to use their information to open new credit cards accounts. It shows that it is not 100% reliable as it will only report any activities by one of the credit bureaus, not both. So, paying hundreds of dollars for this credit monitoring may not be even worth it. In America, you can freeze credit cards which is very effective, and Canadians should be able to have access to that too.

The reason why I chose this video to show everyone how much identity theft can affect so many lives. Like one of the victims in the video was scammed many years ago but is still hunted by it. If anyone ever receives a call or mail or any kind of communication that offers a deal such as this low-interest rate scam, to take a moment and see that if it is too good to be true then it must be a scam, and to not just casually give sensitive information away.