English 0301 Essay Zone: Example Essays

Goal:

Development and Support; Avoiding Comma-splices and Fragments

Example Essay #2
Cause and Effect Essay

IDENTITY THEFT

Everyday people throw out their trash, buy stuff over the internet and receive telemarketing calls on their phone without realizing that they can be a possible victim of identity theft. You may have heard about identity theft and even be fearful of it, but do you know what causes identity theft? You may be surprised, but the everyday things that you do which I mentioned above can make you and your family vulnerable and become an open invitation to possible perpetrators . So, I am going to outline things that many people do in their everyday life that can cause identity theft to happen. This way you and many others may decrease you and your family's chances of suffering from identity theft.

Your wallet or purse can be one cause of identity theft. How is that you may ask? Usually, many people carry their drivers license and other pieces of important and personal information, such as their social security card. That may not be such a smart idea because one of the easiest way for a thief to obtain information about someone is to steal their wallet/purse . When you carry your wallet/purse it would be best to just carry what you need. Try to minimize the amount of personal information that you carry. You should memorize your social security number and leave the card at home. Also, it would be best if you do not carry any info in your wallet/purse with your social security number on it. You may also want to minimize the number of credit cards that you carry. Leave the ones that you rarely use at home or cancel them. The maximum number of credit cards you may want to carry is two. It would also be best if you are prepared in case your wallet/purse is stolen by writing down your account numbers, expiration date and a number where you can call to report and cancel your credit card. Store this information somewhere safe.)

Another way that your wallet/purse can be a cause of identity theft, is by where you leave it. Always keep your wallet/purse in your site and near by. Keep it with you if you are visiting a friend or even while you are at school or your place of work. When you are at a restaurant never hang your purse behind the chair or under your seat. Especially, never leave your purse in the car. Most of the time when you leave your wallet/purse behind because you may never get it back. I have left my purse behind many times, but I have been lucky enough to have had honest people return it. If you ever loose your purse check through it right away and report anything missing immediately.

Thieves have many techniques for stealing people's identity. Many people don’t realize that their mail may also be a prime target. Thieves look for boxes of checks, new credit card offers, bank statements, tax documents, insurance statements, and even credit card statements. Most people receive their mail at home making it easy for anyone to take their mail. You may ask yourself, what if I get a mailbox that requires a key. It may work however, many thieves can just break the lock. I would say, the safest way to receive your mail would be to rent a box at the post office. This way you can send the important mail to the post office and letters and other mail to your home. You may want to put the post office box number on your checks instead of your home address. The way you send your mail is also important. For example, instead of mailing a check from home, you can just leave it in a drop box at the post office or the location it is being sent to.

Your trash can also be a cause of identity theft. Just like they say, “Looking through a persons trash can tell you a lot about that person.” I guess, in a way that can be true. A lot of thieves use a technique called, “dumpster diving.” They look for many things such as, un-shredded documents, unused or pre-approved credit cards and many other types of information. A good way to prevent them from having access to this type of information is to cut up unused credit cards and shred documents that a thief may find useful. You can even put the different pieces of shredded documents in different trash cans.

Another common cause of identity theft, is caused by you! How is that?, you may say. One way, is when we receive those phone calls from telemarketers, and those people that want you to do a survey. The most popular is when you get that call saying you have one some sort of grand prize and they need your social security number to verify that you are the winner. Other phony calls may say they need your credit card number and it’s expiration date. Just hang up and don’t give them any of your information. To minimize anyone in getting your phone number is to have your number unlisted and be sure to put your name on the ”Federal Do Not Call List” This way you will not receive any phone calls from telemarketers. Another way to avoid marketing calls is not filling out any kind of surveys whether it is at the mall or your favorite restaurant.

You can also give a thief easy access to your information by giving personal information over the internet. Never do business with companies online unless they provide some kind of transaction security protection. Thieves can easily hack into websites that they know they can get information about people. Not only is it that people can hack into websites, but the website itself that you give your information to can be a scam. The mistake that many people make is giving common passwords or pins. Many people put there password as their birth date or year they were born even their name. For example, a lot of times when you get a cell phone the company gives you a default password, which is usually the last four of your social security number. Some people change it and others don’t. When you make an account with a bank, phone company, or anything that requires you to have a password I would suggest you change it right away. Make your password a combination of numbers and letters. You may also want to use upper and lower case within your password for example: n5h21Mz8. Never carry your password with you, memorize it right away. Do not share your password with anyone, not even a friend. You need to be careful. What if you become enemies one day? You have to look out for the safety of yourself and family.

Many people don’t realize that they are a victim of identity theft until it is too late. You yourself can be a victim right now! One of the best things that you can do for your protection is check your credit report at least once a year. Order credit reports from all three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union). Now, that I have outlined some important causes of identity theft, I hope that you and your family will be more careful in the future. Just think , it takes years to build good credit but it can take even longer to restore it after it has been wrecked by an identity thief.