Gartner Study On Internet Identity Theft

According a Gartner Study on Internet identity theft, based on a survey of 5000 U.S. adult Internet users, it has been estimated that:

• 1.78 million adults could have fallen victim to the scams
• 57 million adults have experienced a phishing attack
• The cost of phishing… 1.2 billion dollars!

It ‘clear that the figures mentioned are a great attraction for criminal organizations that are devoting substantial resources and investments in the sector. An increasing component of organized crime is specializing in this kind of activity characterized by high profits and low risks compared to traditional criminal activities. In the US The Federal Trade Commission is monitoring the phenomenon of Identity Theft with main national agencies promoting several activities to aware the population regarding the risks derived to the crime exposure.

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Data we give up over the internet...

Digital Identity

Particularly alarming is the growth of such crimes in computers. Which are the information that compose our digital identity?

On the Internet, our identity composed by:

1. IP (Internet Protocol) address
2. address where we live
3. usernames
4. passwords
5. personal identification numbers (PINs)
6. social security numbers
7. birth dates
8. account numbers
9. our names
10. our families names
11. our interests and hobbies
12. our personalities (likes and dislikes)
13. social profiles
14. religious beliefs
15. where we lived as children 
16. pictures of everyone we know and ourselves
17. where we go on vacation and when our house will be empty
18. what we own(personal property)
19. personal beliefs
20. whether we possess or believe in firearms rights
21. other personal information

..it is this author's belief at the present rate of information seepage, that soon organizations like the Census Bureau will no longer be needed, because some of us will voluntarily give up our personal lives to social media.                                                            Butch Morton

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