Tiffany James Speech Webster Struthers 26 October 2011 Identity Theft Introduction: I.

Attention Getter- Identity theft occurs so frequently that the Federal Bureau of Investigation cites it as Americas fastest growing crime problem. II. Thesis Statement- Thieves steal and fraudulently use the names, addresses, social security numbers, and other personal information of at least 9 million Americans a year; however it is possible to deal with and avoid this problem by knowing what to look for. III. Preview of Main Points: Thefts, life disturbances, and headaches are what people have to deal with when their identity is stolen. A. First Main Point- What is identity theft? B. Second Main Point- How it can affect you C. Third Main Point- How to deal with identity theft Body: I. First Main Point- What is identity theft? A. Subpoint- Identity theft in todays society 1. Identity Theft is a crime in which an impostor obtains key pieces of personal identifying information such as Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers and uses them for their own personal gain. (definition) 2. There are 9.3 million victims a year 3. The number of victims has decreased 28% since last year (statistics) 4. "We definitely see evidence that the banks and other institutions are taking stronger precautions to prevent data breaches," said James Van Dyke. "Data

breaches are a big deal. You are eight times more likely to be a victim of fraud if you get a data-breach notice." (Quote) B. Subpoint- Different types of identity theft 1. Financial/Credit Identity Theft (Example) A. Businesses lose $52.6 billion a year B. Individual people lose $5 billion a year 2. Medical Identity Theft (Example) 3. Driver License Identity Theft (DMV IDT) (Example) 4. Social Security IDT (Example) 5. Criminal/Character IDT Transition- With all those different kinds of identity thefts out there a person needs to know how could affect them. II. Second Main Point- How identity theft can affect each person. A. Subpoint- How some people have their information stolen. 1. 26% of all victims know their identity thief, while 29% just had their wallet or purse stolen (statistic) 2. Dumpster Diving (Example) 3. Skimming (Example) 4. Phishing (Example) 5. Changing Your Address (Example) 6. Old-Fashioned Stealing (Example) 7. Pretexting (Example) B. Subpoint- What the thieves do with your stolen information. 1. Credit card fraud (Example) 2. Phone or utilities fraud (Example) 3. Bank/finance fraud (Example)

4. Government documents fraud (Example) 5. They may get a job using your Social Security number (Example) 6. They may rent a house or get medical services using your name (Example) 7. They may give your personal information to police during an arrest. If they don't show up for their court date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name (Example) Transition- Identity theft may plague peoples lives, but there are ways to deal with being ensnared in theses traps. III. Third Main Point- How to deal with identity theft. A. Subpoint- What you should do if your identity is stolen. 1. File a police report 2. Check your credit card reports 3. Notify your creditors that your information was stolen 4. Dispute any unauthorized transactions Signpost- Identity theft has been a problem for many years and will continue to be, but the government is working to change all that Conclusion: Identity theft is decreasing every year, but it still exist, so we must keep fighting it by reporting incidents and paying attention to what we are doing with our information. I. Restate Thesis- Identity theft happens every year, but it is possible to deal with it if you know what the signs are. II. Review Three Main Points: A. What is identity theft? B. How it can affect you C. How to deal with identity theft

III.

Clincher- Identity theft happens all over the world every day too many people and it can happen to you, so be careful what you do with your information.

Works Cited Collins, Jim. "Identity Theft." Identity Theft. 69.3 (2009): 5 -9. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. "Five Types of Identity Theft." HubPages. HubPages, n.d. Web. 30 Oct 2011. "Identity Theft: How To Avoid It." Investopedia. Investopedia, 05/03/2010. Web. 30 Oct 2011. "Information and Resources for Protection and Prevention." Identity-Theft Toolkit. 76.10 (2006): 66 -70. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. Singletary, Michelle. "Identity -theft statistics look better, but you still don't want to be one." Washington Post 02/09/2011. n. pag. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. United States of America. Federal Trade Commission. About Identity Theft . Web. 30 Oct 2011.