Have you ever received a bill on your credit card at the end of the month with a ridiculous amount of money owed that you never spent? This is due to identity theft. The FTC estimates that more than 9 million people are victims of identity theft each year. According to Sally Driscoll, this is because almost anyone with a computer and a little computer knowledge can pull off identity theft. Experts also say that identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the world. Identity theft is a global problem that cannot be stopped without effective measures. The problem is that it is very difficult to find effective measures when dealing with identity theft because almost all security protocols can be bypassed. According to Merriam Webster, identity theft is the illegal use of someone else's personally identifiable information (such as a Social Security Number) to obtain money or credit. Identity theft has existed since banking was introduced to the world, but it didn't become a federal crime until 1988. Before the Privacy Act was passed by Congress in 1974, people physically carried their numbers with them Social Security, so identity theft was simply as easy as stealing a person's wallet. With a person's Social Security number, a thief has access to the person's Social Security benefits and other government services such as unemployment checks (Driscoll). Today, with all the technology we have, it has become quite easy for thieves to steal a person's Social Security number. identity. One of the easiest ways someone can steal your personal information is to simply look over a person's shoulder as they enter personal information into a computer or ATM. This process is known as shoulder surfing. Second... half the card... and delete all credit cards, Mac cards and social security numbers. Identity theft can happen to anyone. Works Cited Driscoll, Sally. English, Marlanda. “Identity Theft: An Overview.” Viewpoints: Identity Theft (2013): 1. Viewpoints Reference Center. Network. November 26, 2013.Eversley, Melanie, Hjelmgaard, Kim. “Target confirms massive credit card data breach.” USA Today, December 19, 2013. Web. December 19, 2013. “Identity Theft.” merriam-webster.com. Network. January 13, 2014. Newton, Alex K. and Heather Rich. “People need to be vigilant in protecting their identities.” Points of view Reference centre. EBSCO, 2011. Web. January 14, 2014. Whittaker, AnneDiLascio, Tracey M. “Counterpoint: Government Legislation Will Not Be Adequate to Eliminate Identity Theft.” Viewpoints: Identity Theft (2013): 3. Viewpoints Web Reference Center. 2014.