Juvenile Victimization in Identity Theft Introduction Identity theft is continuously growing crime, and over the past several years we have seen a rise in the victimization of juveniles in the horrendous crime. Three important terms which are addressed in this research (that are important to know and understand) are identity theft, juvenile, and victimization. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, identity theft is defined as “the unauthorized use or attempted use of existing accounts, or unauthorized use or attempted use of personal information to open a new account or for other fraudulent purposes (Harrell, 2013).” Juvenile refers to children, typically persons under the age of 18. Victimization means to make victim of someone or to harm or commit a crime against someone. It is important to understand these terms to understand the full purpose of the following research of juvenile victimization in identity theft (Woods, 2014). Problem Statement According to news reports and recent studies, children are at higher risk for identity theft than adults, infants and youth have become greater targets to criminals in the growing trends of this catastrophic crime. Identity theft is a crime of which is difficult for an adult to recover from and get their life back after falling victim, much less an infant, child, or even teenager. In an article released through the Juvenile Justice Exchange states, “kids under the age of 18 are 51 times more likely to become victims of identity theft than their parents” (Duda, 2011). Juveniles make such tempting target because of the high possibility that the theft may go unknown for years. Just as for adults, juvenile identity theft can have lasting effects (sometimes even greater effects).
Introduction
Identity theft is continuously growing crime, and over the past several years we have seen a rise in the victimization of juveniles in the horrendous crime. Three important terms which are addressed in this research (that are important to know and understand) are identity theft, juvenile, and victimization. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, identity theft is defined as “the unauthorized use or attempted use of existing accounts, or unauthorized use or attempted use of personal information to open a new account or for other fraudulent purposes (Harrell, 2013).” Juvenile refers to children, typically persons under the age of 18. Victimization means to make victim of someone or to harm or commit a crime against someone. It is important to understand these terms to understand the full purpose of the following research of juvenile victimization in identity theft (Woods, 2014).
Problem Statement
According to news reports and recent studies, children are at higher risk for identity theft than adults, infants and youth have become greater targets to criminals in the growing trends of this catastrophic crime. Identity theft is a crime of which is difficult for an adult to recover from and get their life back after falling victim, much less an infant, child, or even teenager.
In an article released through the Juvenile Justice Exchange states, “kids under the age of 18 are 51 times more likely to become victims of identity theft than their parents” (Duda, 2011). Juveniles make such tempting target because of the high possibility that the theft may go unknown for years. Just as for adults, juvenile identity theft can have lasting effects (sometimes even greater effects).