Topic
Identity theft
About: Identity theft is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2284 publications have been published within this topic receiving 31700 citations.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined demographic differences between individuals who do not take measures to protect themselves from identity theft victimization and those who do, and found that these individuals are much more likely to be white, older, female and highly educated.
Abstract: This paper aims to examine demographic differences between individuals who do not take measures to protect themselves from identity theft victimization and those who do. A majority of the research on identity theft has focused on predictors of victimization, reporting behaviors of the victims and their health and mental outcomes. However, little remains known about the individuals who choose to take any identity-theft measures despite concerns over this fast-growing breed of crime.,Guided by Felson and Cohen’s routine activities theoretical framework (1979), this study uses the 2014 Identity Theft Supplement of the National Crime Victimization Survey to identify the demographic characteristics that influence the use of self-protection measures among individuals in the general population.,This study finds that these individuals are much more likely to be white, older, female and highly educated. The decision to undertake protection against identity theft is also influenced by the following factors: prior experience of misuse, possession of a bank account in the prior 12 months, current possession of at least one credit card and awareness that one is entitled to a free copy of one’s credit report.,This study addresses the gap in scholarship on identity theft prevention by applying the concept of guardianship in Cohen and Felson’s routine activity theory (1979) to the usage of self-protection measures in a general population. Future findings will identify the areas which agencies and researchers can focus on to inform policies that foster individuals’ own initiatives to take self-protection measures against potential identity theft.
6 citations
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TL;DR: It is found that automatically reissuing cards may have lower social costs than the costs of waiting until fraud is attempted, although the range of results is considerably broad.
Abstract: When card data is exposed in a data breach but has not yet been used to attempt fraud, the overall social costs of that breach depend on whether the financial institutions that issued those cards immediately cancel them and issue new cards or instead wait until fraud is attempted. This article empirically investigates the social costs and benefits of those options. We use a parameterized model and Monte Carlo simulation to compare the cost of reissuing cards to the total expected cost of fraud if cards are not reissued. The ranges and distributions in our model are informed by publicly available information, from which we extrapolate estimates of the number of credit card records historically exposed in data breaches, the probability that a card exposed in a breach will be used for fraud, and the associated expected cost of existing-account credit card fraud. We find that automatically reissuing cards may have lower social costs than the costs of waiting until fraud is attempted, although the range of results is considerably broad.
6 citations
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TL;DR: This article demonstrates an execution of this attack in a systematic manner through two real-world Android application case studies by implementing a prototype to mitigate the risk of user credential data being stolen from the application files.
Abstract: Automatic login is a commonly used feature of smartphones, because their small keyboards make it difficult to key in user credential information. However, this feature may pose a serious risk to smartphone users? privacy. The stored data for automatic login could be stolen by an attacker, resulting in identity theft. In this article, we demonstrate an execution of this attack in a systematic manner through two real-world Android application case studies by implementing a prototype. We also discuss five possible defense strategies to mitigate the risk of user credential data being stolen from the application files.
6 citations
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TL;DR: The role of consumers in financial identity theft is continuously changing as a result of the evolution of methods used by the perpetrators of identity theft as mentioned in this paper, and this evolution requires a different response from both the public and the private sector as consumers lose more control over their potential indirect facilitation of financial identity fraud.
Abstract: The role consumers play in the facilitation of financial identity theft is an important topic of discussion. Academics often side with consumers and recognize them as victims rather than facilitators. Others, both in the public and the private sector, believe consumers play a more prominent role in the facilitation of financial identity theft. This is particularly apparent through the popularity of public awareness campaigns. Neither of these accounts manages to reflect the complexity of the overall picture. The following article demonstrates how the role consumers play is continuously changing as a result of the evolution of methods used by perpetrators of identity theft. This evolution requires a different response from both the public and the private sector as consumers lose more control over their potential indirect facilitation of financial identity theft.
6 citations
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TL;DR: This chapter describes the definitions and scope of cybercrime including an outline of the history of hackers and the role of criminal networks and markets in the dissemination of malicious software.
Abstract: This chapter describes the definitions and scope of cybercrime including an outline of the history of hackers and the role of criminal networks and markets in the dissemination of malicious software and other contraband such as illicit drugs, stolen credit cards and personal identification, firearms, and criminal services. Different cybercrime types and methods are described, including the widespread use of ‘social engineering’ or deception in computer misuse and identity theft. The challenges facing law enforcement in the suppression of cybercrime and the important role of private and public partnerships, as well as cross-national cooperation in the suppression of cybercrime is illustrated.
6 citations