INTRODUCTION
The phrase "white-collar crime," which is said to have been originated in 1939, today refers to a wide range of scams perpetrated by corporate and government officials. These crimes are defined by deception, concealment, or breach of trust, and they do not include the use or threat of physical force or violence. These crimes are motivated by a desire to get or avoid losing money, property, or services, or to gain a personal or business advantage. These aren't crimes with no victims. A single fraud may bankrupt a firm, wipe away a family's life savings, or lose investors billions of dollars (or even all three). Identity theft happens when someone steals your identity and uses it to commit a crime or commit fraud. Public corruption, money laundering, corporate fraud, securities and commodities fraud, mortgage fraud, financial institution fraud, bank fraud and embezzlement, fraud against the government, election law violations, mass marketing fraud, and health care fraud are all investigated by the FBI. The FBI focuses on international, national, or regional investigations that have a link to organised crime operations and where the FBI may bring unique knowledge or skills to bear that improve the chance of successful investigations. Targeting sophisticated, multi-layered fraud cases that harm the economy, FBI special agents work closely with partner law enforcement and regulatory agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, among others. [1]
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Identity theft has been around for a long time, even before the Internet became a popular means of communication. In reality, identity theft predates the admission of the 49th state to the union. Once upon a time, identity theft was a physical crime. The first identity thieves were assassins who murdered their victims. The thief would simply grab the victim's name, social security number, and other personal information once the body had been properly disposed of. The motivation was typically not for financial gain, but rather to gain a new identity. Obviously, each situation was unique, and making broad generalisations would be impossible. Perhaps a person owed money to Al Capone and his friends and needed to go to California for a fresh start using forged but genuine documents. This would be an extreme method of gaining a new start, but given the culture of the time period, it seems feasible. In essence, the perpetrator assumed the victim's physical persona. Identity thieves began to perform their crimes over the phone. In the history of identity theft, this was the first technical gadget utilised. The personal paper shredder became popular during the next phase in the history of identity theft. [2]
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
Understanding the variables that contribute to your problem can help you construct your own local analysis questions, pick appropriate answers, and decide on excellent efficacy measurements. Although there are research on various identity theft-related crimes such as check and credit card fraud, there are few scientific studies on identity theft victims, perpetrators, or events. The most relevant conclusions in terms of victims related to the time it took to uncover the theft: The higher the victim's loss and suffering, the longer it takes to detect the theft. Victims who are low-income and less educated take longer to uncover or report the crime, resulting in more suffering, particularly from debt collection harassment, electricity cutoffs, and banking issues. [3]
SUGGESTIONS
ï‚· Every month, review your credit card and bank statements. ï‚· Never disclose your credit card details over the phone unless you initiated the contact and are confident in the company or individual. ï‚· Notify your credit card company or bank about any questionable purchases. ï‚· At least once a year, get a copy of your credit report. Any suspicious entries should be reported to the credit bureau in writing. ï‚· Any documents containing personal or financial information should be destroyed. Local police may find it difficult, but not impossible, to alter certain key conditions that contribute to identity theft. These are the issues at hand. The processes your motor vehicle department takes to validate driver's licence applications are an illustration of how companies and government organisations manage clients' personal information. Financial institutions' policies and procedures for dealing with fraud (for example, the ease with which they provide applicants with credit cards and convenience checks). This guide will, however, assist you in determining what you can do to support victims of identity theft in your area. [4]
CONCLUSION
To summarise, identity theft may happen to anybody, and it is critical to take the actions outlined above to avoid being a victim. Seniors and college students should be especially vigilant when it comes to identity theft since identity thieves consider them to be easy targets. People who use shared computers are likewise at risk, but in today's culture, everyone is potentially exposed. People become even more paranoid when they are negligent with personal information and fail to notice warning flags. Identity theft may have long-term consequences that harm people not only individually, but also as a whole, hurting companies and the economy. [5]
REFERENCE
[1] WHAT WE INVESTIGATE, https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/white-collar-crime (last visited Sept. 26, 2021).
[2] Identity- Theft- Scenarios.com , https://www.identity-theft-scenarios.com/identity-theftfacts/history/ (last visited Sept. 26, 2021).
[3] ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, https://popcenter.asu.edu/content/identitytheft-0 (last visited Sept. 26, 2021).
[4] SCAMS AND SAFETY, https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-andcrimes/identity-theft (last visited Sept. 26, 2021).
[5] Course Hero, https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/identitytheft (last visited Sept. 26, 2021)