Identity theft - Be cautious when online
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Identity Theft is commonly known because of the number of credit card frauds but Identity theft is not limited to just credit cards and can be used for many other purposes as well. According to wikipedia Indentity theft occurs when someone wrongfully acquires or uses another person’s personal data, typically for their own financial gain. Sometimes it is referred to as "identity fraud" since the criminal impersonates rather than ‘removes’ the victims identity.
Most commonly, this term is used in relation to credit card fraud although mortgage fraud and other kinds of financial fraud are common. Less commonly, it is used to enable illegal immigration, terrorism or espionage. It may also be a means of blackmail if activities undertaken by the thief in the name of the victim would have serious consequences for the victim. There have also been cases of identity theft for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment, or for evading criminal prosecution.
Now how can the Internet be an easy medium for identity theft? Well here are two stories from two different parts of the world
The Sunday Times reports, Identity fraud has increased sixfold over the past five years and is estimated to cost the economy more than £1.7 billion a year. Infact Stolen identities of Britons — including their credit card details, home addresses and security passwords — are being sold on Russian websites for as little as £1 each. The criminals have used a so-called “trojan” software to track every keystroke made by the victim when he or she is accessing secure sites. The victim unwittingly downloads it from a website or through e-mail and this enables the criminal to find out all of the vital information.
Now this may be storie from the west but closer home in India Identity theft is being used in even more damaging ways.
Police in Kolkata have probed 3 cases where jilted lovers and friends had turned to orkut to take their vengeance from their ex lovers. They created new profiles on the name of the three girls, uploaded their real photos and cell phone numbers, email ids, even put up obscene pictures as well as wrote lewd innuendoes in her testimonials.
As expected within days the girls are flooded with indecent calls. The 3 offenders were tracked down. With these woes and the previous child pornography accusations by Brazil now orkut has added new cautionary notes flashing on the top so that users can now directly report to service provider.
With so much happening on the internet with web 2.0 people are becoming more and more vulnerable to personal attacks which can have personal, professional and financial ramifications. Though I am not a promoter of internet censorship but i do feel that some severe penalty which would scare away such offenders should be enforced in order to protect the public at large.
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