Cybercrime is skyrocketing and spiraling out of control. We hear about it every single day and it's hard to control. There are different types of cyber crimes that we hear about on a daily basis such as phishing, social engineering, identity theft, malware etc. Among all these identity theft is the most pervasive form of crime in the 21st century. Identity theft occurs when someone attempts to access our personal name, social security number, debit/credit card number to commit criminal or fraudulent activity. According to research conducted by Javelin Strategy & Research in 2006, more than 8.4 million adults have been victims of identity theft. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Identity theft has many impacts on individual lives, but the two most harmful effects of identity theft are financial harm and non-financial harm. Financial damage basically means the loss of money and property. There are several types of ways in which the victim can be financially harmed, including misuse of the Social Security number, debit or credit, opening a new bank account in the victim's name, depositing taxes, the purchase of motor vehicle ownership and other valuable assets. things in victims fund or credit because of this, victims have to spend so much money regarding this problem to recover from this. A good real-life example of identity theft is that of an elderly woman with dementia who was victimized by her caretaker who stole nearly $200,000 from her before she died. The thief not only used his credit/debit card but also opened multiple bank accounts in his name and also purchased motor vehicles. This is a realistic example, but there are many examples like this. Whereas, talking about non-financial damages, it gives a lot of difficulty to the victim to recover from identity theft. After the misuse of their credit/debit card social security number, they have to suffer damage to such things and even question their reputation. For example, they also have to make more phone calls, write letters to the lawyer, spend a lot of money, and sometimes become victims of depression that is threatening their lives. The things that need to be kept in mind to be safe from identity theft completely depend on ourselves. Like our social security number, debit/credit card, and our personal information, we should try to keep these things private. Checking account activity daily also helps keep us updated on our card. Taking care of your surroundings is absolutely necessary, while you need to be careful when using public Wi-Fi. In the event that identity theft occurs, notifying the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is very important. Likewise, to our bank if there has been misuse of our cards and to the IRS if we discover fraudulent activity on the Social Security number. These are some quick ideas to keep in mind to solve the problem. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Overall, identity theft can be very destructive to the victim's life.