Identity theft in digital era

          According to our lecture, identity theft refers to stealing of someone else’s information and identity fraud is to commit fraud of any kind with the stolen information. Most people steal information from others with the intention of committing fraud, and these two concepts are often considered interchangeable terms. There are many types of identity theft, including financial, criminal, identity cloning, synthetic, medical, and ghosting. Among all these types of identity theft, the most common type that we are likely to experience in our everyday lives is financial identity theft, which is defined as using an identity other than your own to obtain money, goods, or services (often those that you don’t deserve with your real identity). Financial identity theft is most likely to occur online than offline because as credit cards and e-checks gain their popularity in the digital area, it is so much easier for white collar criminals and hackers to stole credit card and other personal information from others without even approaching them in reality and without their knowledge because everything happens online. Most people today are loyal internet users who shop online and bank online, and all information that they might possibly use online (such as their credit card number, their SSN, as well as their phones) are very vulnerable to illegal access than they are in reality despite the firewall that ward off most but not all intrusions. In general, victims of identity theft often don’t realize that their identity have been stolen until the crime has actually occurred (like when you discover that a credit card bill charging you for the things that you never purchased). This is how online identity theft differs with that of the offline ones: the crime cost is lower and the chance of getting caught is lesser. I once witnessed a medical identity theft that occurred in reality: One of my friend’s roommate stole her ID card and went to the hospital for abortion surgery and my friend found that out almost instantly because her ID card is gone from her wallet. She then infer that the only person who has access to her waller was her roommate - and finally, she was able to retrieve her ID card without leaving unwanted medical records.
          Simply put, if we choose to ever use the Internet for commercial or other purposes that involve revealing our personal information to any third party, we are putting ourselves at greater risk of identity theft. However, it would be very unwise if we just abandon internet to secure our personal information because that way the costs would greatly outweigh the benefits - imagine what life would be like for modern people without internet! Thus, in order to protect ourselves from identity theft as well as identity fraud, it is crucial that we learn about effective strategies that battle internet criminals. Vangie Beal (2006) discussed this issue in-depth in her article “How to Defend Yourself Against Identity Theft”. She first described the negative impact that identity theft might have on us by suggesting that it can sometimes “go beyond a monetary impact” if the thief used your personal information to commit other serious crimes (this would be the criminal type of identity theft, as previously stated). Beal (2006) then proposed several valid methods for “minimizing risk” recommended by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). The FTC indicated that victims of identity theft must take immediate actions to further secure their account upon discovering the crime, such as informing the police or the bank. However, Beal (2006) also mentioned that it is better to prevent identity theft from ever happening by visiting only websites with well-written privacy policy as well as good security checks, such as the websites that offer data encryption. Moreover, we should never choose to disclose our personal information until we are positive that the communication medium is secure. In a nutshell, all of us as internet users should always try to remain as vigilant and alarmed as possible when disclosing our information concerning privacy online to make ourselves less like vulnerable targets that hackers will look upon. 

Reference:
http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/identity_theft.asp

Old People and the Internet

In class we have been talking about different age groups and their usage of the internet. One specific group we looked at were older people, getting up to ones in their senior years. This group is significant because they grew up and developed without the technology we have today, specifically the internet. It was mentioned how older people are slowly starting to adapt to the internet here in the states. I was curious how they were doing with it in other countries though. An article by Tech Adviser examines how elder people use the internet in the United Kingdom. The article starts out by mentioning how about 14% of the country's adult population, or 7.1 million people, have never used the internet. It then states how two thirds of all people over seventy-five, or 3.4 million people, are ignorant of all things internet. This one third that has used the internet is significantly lower than that of all adults, which is 86%. The younger groups are almost at 100% on the internet, being at 99% for the 16 to 24 population.

Compared to the United States these statistics appear significantly lower. Although a slightly younger age group, 82% of people over sixty-five in the U.S. use the internet, with 71% daily. Even though the age group is younger, a 50% increase over usage compared with the U.K. age group examined shows a little bit of a difference in the usage from country to country. It implies that the U.S.'s elder population uses the internet at much higher rates. This is interesting seeing how both countries are wealthy nations with easy access to internet. One would think there would not be such a big difference seeing these similarities. This shows how the internet is possibly more prominent in U.S. citizen's lives maybe. None the less it is an interesting comparison. Apparently elder people are more with the younger generation new tech in the U.S. compared with their British brethren. Another difference in the countries is the growth of internet use. For the older group of Americans, the amount of internet users rose by 53% from last year. In the same time span, the U.K. group actually went down a little by 0.3%. All of these statistics indicate the different impacts the internet has on different cultures.

Sexualization of Females in Video Games

                In class we discussed the portrayal of women in video games.  Women characters in games may be characterized in a few different ways.  One of those characters is the damsel in distress which is completely helpless and must depend on a male character to save her.  The next typical women character is the crone, sometimes good and sometimes evil, she is usually an older women.  Then there is the manic pixie dream girl who saves the main male character and then disappears.  And finally, the sex icon like the character Laura Croft.  This type of character is overly sexualized with little clothing and emphasized breasts, hips, and buts, as well as small waists.

                In the Ted Talk we watched in class, Anita Sarkeesian told her story about wanting to change the way women are portrayed in video games and the backlash she received as a result.  Her computer and accounts were hacked and she received death threats and threats of sexual assault.  If anything I think this reaction proves that changes need to be made in the gaming industry.  As discussed in the Ted Talk and the New York Times article The One-Sided Problem of Oversexualizationin Video Games, there are very few women game developers and many women gamers face discrimination.  Sarkeesian discusses how gaming is a “boys club” in which males create a hostile environment to keep girls out. 

Women are slowly entering male dominated fields, however, gaming is not one where females have made much progress.  I think there are many reasons for this, such that boys are socialized to like video games and girls are socialized to play with dolls.  Furthermore, boys are also socialized to be more aggressive and thus the violence of video games is more enticing.  However, when a female is interested in gaming she is often rejected.  People like Sarkeesian are working on changing this divide and encouraging women who are interested to pursue careers as game developers as well as change the way women are portrayed as sex icons in games.

The author of the The One-sided Problem of Oversexualizationin Video Games took a very different stance then I expected when I first read saw the article.  He argues that the lack of women developers in the gaming industry is a problem, but the sexualization of women characters is not.  He reasons, just as we discussed in class, that male characters also have idealized bodies.  They are extremely muscular and attractive, and women would most likely “swoon over” them if they were in flesh in blood.  And although, male characters also have unrealistic idealized bodies in games they are not viewed as sexy the way female characters are.  Though I agree this is true, I do not agree with his point that it is not a problem.  This is not just a problem in the gaming world but in society in general.  Women’s bodies are sexualized in ways the men’s bodies are not.  Though it may not seem like an issue it is one that I have discussed in many of my criminology and psychology classes at Penn State.  When women’s bodies are sexualized it leads to this ideal that women’s bodies are sexual objects to be used for male pleasure.  These ideals are not just instilled in men but women as well.  And until these ideals are broken women will also be viewed as lesser than men.   

IRS Battling Identity Theft: People Losing their Returns to Hackers and Scammers Dan Geibler

            Identity theft, the taking of someone’s personal information and identity fraud, the false use of someone’s personal information, are both rapidly growing crimes in the US. While finding new ways to get your information, perpetrators have found a new way to use your information. With the recent past of Tax Day, the IRS has caught on to an increase in criminal identity cloning, where perpetrators access the forms the victim’s file, and alter their info to steal their return checks.

A Fox Article recently reported a Milwaukee woman who caught on to scammers, after they made an error in their ruse. Joy Krowski, the victim, received a letter from the IRS asking her for more info to process her tax return. The letter was official and from the actual IRS, however, it read, “Inquiring about your 1040 EZ form”, which was where the mistake was made. Joy realized there was some type of mistake because she didn’t file a 1040 EZ form. Joy called the IRS to try and solve her problems, when they realized she was a victim of identity fraud.

Joy’s social security number was compromised, and it was believed she was hacked. It’s believed that hackers are getting personal information though data branches, and getting it in large numbers, allowing them to mass produce false files and tax forms. Joy told reports when she was at the police station filing her police report, three other people came in to also report identity theft.

Joy said she was a victim of the Blue Cross Information Breach, however it’s unknown whether the other three victims were also. The Blue Cross incident opens the possibilities that the tax return victim’s information were sold on the black market. The theft and in this case was a little different from most identity theft cases. Like all cases, this will take Joy time and money to repair, having to go through numerous repetitive bureaucratic agencies to straighten out her taxes, get her proper refund, and get a new social security number, as well as reverivying information with her previous number. However, outside the norm, Joy and other victims most likely lost or would have lost over $400 if they forfeited their entire tax return, and it took more then 24 hours to realize the theft occurred.

Grandmas Love Facebook

I love social media. And I’ll be the first person to admit that I am on it every day, multiple times a day.  However, I’m not the biggest fan of Facebook. I mean, yeah, it’s a great way to keep all my pictures in one place and make my mom think she knows what’s going on in my life, but personally Facebook just isn’t my thing. However, the same cannot be said about my grandma.

My grandma loves Facebook.  She checks it every day and it’s always easy to know when she goes on because I get about 14 notifications telling me she liked every picture I’ve posted since last month as well as every picture I’ve ever been tagged in; literally - every single one. At first I just thought Facebook was a fun way for my grandma to feel more connected to my family since she can’t see us as often as she might like. However, Internet use among the elderly can actually have a much greater benefit than just “keeping in touch”.

As we discussed in class, 82 percent of people over the age of 65 use the Internet and 71 percent of these people use it daily, and for good reasons.  Seniors being online can greatly enhance their communication, as I mentioned earlier, it helps them to stay up to date on the lives of their family and friends as well as updating others on what is going on in their lives. The Internet can also improve the health care of seniors due to the immense amount of information available about different conditions, medicines, etc. and can support those who live on their own by providing easy access to rideshare groups. But the most interesting thing I learned is that Internet use can actually ward off depression among the elderly.  

In Tom Oswald’s article, he discusses that around 10 million seniors suffer from depression, which is often brought on by feelings of isolation and loneliness.  However, a new research project that followed the lives of thousands of retired seniors for 6 years found that Internet use can actually reduce the chances of depression by more than 30 percent. That is a huge effect all due to the fact that the Internet gives elderly people the ability to communicate, stay in contact with their social networks, and all in all not feel lonely. However, it all comes down to how one chooses to use the Internet.  If someone chooses to ignore the responsibilities they have and sit in front of the computer instead, it will have a negative impact.  But if it is used in moderation and to do things to enhance daily life, the impacts are likely to be positive.  

So, next time a Facebook notification pops up telling you grandma posted yet another video tutorial that you just “have to try”, think about not only how much joy it brings her to be able to talk to you with such ease, but also the effects it has on her health.

Kids and social media sites

Social media sites can be a dangerous place for kids and young teenagers. They can be dangerous because of sexual predators online and cyber bullying. In addition, these sites can be dangerous for children and teens because they tend to post inappropriate things that can haunt them later. Children and teens are more vulnerable to all of these dangers because they have never dealt with them before, and they don’t know what is happening or how to deal with it. This is where parents have to step in and make sure their kids know how to manage their profiles online safely and appropriately.

    I remember, as a teenager, my peers would post some cruel things about one another online. Kids from my high school would fight in comment boxes for hours at a time. It’s a lot easier for kids and teenagers to bully one another online because of the anonymity. According to “Internet Safety 101”, 41% of teens reported having a negative experience on social media. Similar to what we discussed in class, statistics on this website also stated that 25% of teens had a negative experience that led to face-to-face confrontation. 22% had an experience that ended their friendship with someone. 88% of teens reported having seen someone being mean to another person on a social networking site.

    Social networking sites are also dangerous places because of sexual predators. 29% of Internet sex crime relationships were initiated on a social networking site. Teens often include their real age, photos of themselves, where they live, school name and location, their cell phone number, and places they usually go on their social networking profiles. Surprisingly, plenty of young people have Facebook. In fact, 38% of Facebook users in the last year were under the age of 13, and more than 25% of Facebook users last year were under the age of 10. In addition to this, 62% of parents of teens ages 13-14 are actually "friends" with their child are Facebook, and a mere 18% of parents with children under 10 on Facebook are "friends" with their child on the site. This leaves plenty of opportunity for predators to reach the child without the parents noticing.

    On the “Empowering Parents” page of the site, they tell parents to teach their children to use privacy settings, avoid in-person meetings, be honest about their age, try to remember that people aren’t always who they say they are, and to think before they post. They also advise children to avoid inappropriate behavior and report it to the site if they encounter it. Hemanshu Nigam, Chief Security Officer says "One of the most important questions to ask that teens really understand is: 'Are you willing to share this information in front of your school assembly?’” All of this goes back to what we discussed in class. Adults and children have different ideas of privacy. Adults tend to think before they post, while children tend to post first and take the risk, then if a problem occurs they ask for help afterwards. This Internet Safety website suggests that all parents add their children as a friend so they can see what they’re doing. Once again, all of this goes back to what we talked about in class. It’s hard to determine, as a parent, where to draw the line on protecting your kids. However, it is the responsibility of the parents to watch what their children do online, since Facebook and other social media sites are not responsible for what people post. I think it's essential as a parent to be friends with your kids online so you can monitor what they’re posting, and whom they’re friends with, to make sure they’re not in any danger. If your child doesn’t want to be friends with you, however, it’s still important to warn them about the dangers of being online, so that when they do encounter danger, they will come talk to you. It’s also important to encourage your kids to talk to you if anyone says anything online that makes them uncomfortable, and encourage them to tell the school. In the “Cyberbullying Safety Tips” section, they say to look for signs that your child is being cyber bullied, like reluctance to use the computer or even refusing to go to school. As a parent you do have to respect your kids’ privacy, and you don’t want to cross the line, but there are many ways to protect your children from the dangers of social networking sites.

Phishing

Have you ever received an email asking for you to click a link or input your personal account information?  Well if you have most likely you received a phishing email.  Phishing is the act of attempting to trick people into revealing valuable information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, etc by pretending to be someone you trust (PSU SOS).  These criminals sending phishing emails can always use other mediums such as text messages, phone calls, instant message and social networks like Facebook, twitter, and Instagram.  In class we talked about how college students are prime targets of phishing.  We are prone to this because we rely heavily on the Internet to store personal information and we rarely check our credit card and bank statements, as we should.  We also get numerous emails a day so we can be easily tricked to give account information by phishing emails pretending to be our bank or credit card company or even Penn State. The article I chose to apply to this concept is “Spear Phishing: A Bigger Concern in 2015” by Tracy Kitten.  Kitten talks about how criminals using phishing are changing their direction and method of using phishing.  Instead of targeting bank customers directly criminals are now targeting bank employees.  These fake emails are convincing employees to click on malicious links that compromise their credentials and information or providing information about their accounts and account holders.  Criminals are using logos and email formats of that employees company or of a client/vendor to trick the employee to trust the email.  The ultimate fear of these criminals going after employees is that they can gain access to much more information.  They can get company information and information of all customers and clients of that bank.  Also with more people and bank institutions using online banking we are becoming easier targets for phishing.  DEMARC, which stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance is an email authentication service that can authenticate an emails source and block spam.  Although DMARC is an incredible service and protection, it isn’t enough.  Criminals are constantly changing their techniques to get around filters and identifiers used to authenticate emails.  As Kitten explained that the education of the employee is becoming increasingly critical.  This is important because although there is DMARC to help protect it is also the responsibility of the email user to be able to identify and be cautious of phishing emails they receive.  I completely agree with Kitten’s article.  In the age we live we have become fairly dependent on technology.  Criminals are taking advantage of this dependency so it is our job to look out for and report phishing emails we see.  I have learned from an experience I had when I was in high school.  My mom clicked on a malicious link that she thought was from our credit card company.  It turned out that it was a criminal who obtained her credit card information.  Thankfully our credit card company informs us of strange charges so we were able to cancel the card and report it to our company.  As technology keeps advancing crime will too so it is up to us to be cautious of what we put and share online.  

Article- http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/spear-phishing-bigger-concern-in-2015-a-7742/op-1 

Sources: http://sos.its.psu.edu/2013/01/convincing-phishing-scam-sent-to-penn-staters---mimics-     pnc-bank-alert.html

             http://agsci.psu.edu/it/how-to/understand-phishing     http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/phishing-symptoms.aspx     http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/blog/2011/12-common-scams-that-target-college- kids/     http://sos.its.psu.edu/resources/phishing.html)