Survey Research and Data on Identity Theft

Survey Research and Data
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Survey Research and Data
In recent times, there is an increase in data breaches that lead to identity theft. As outlined in the chosen research topic, there are numerous reports affirming that identity theft has increased in recent years, especially toward individuals above 16 years. Harrel (2021) acknowledged that five percent of individuals above 16 years in the United States have been victims of identity theft in the past one year. There are significant losses that are incurred due to the increase in identity theft cases. Therefore, it is essential to understand identity theft, its impact, and what remedies can be imposed to mitigate its impact or prevent its occurrence. The study aims to understand the role of the victim during the process of identity theft. This will highlight the actions of victims that assist perpetrators to advance the identity theft crime. The research hypothesis notes that identity theft victims have a prior relationship with the perpetrator.
Identity theft entails stealing personal information, which allows the perpetrator to utilize the information for fraudulent practices. Therefore, the perpetrator usually uses the information to commit crimes, especially those involving wrongful economic gains (Gholami & Ebrahimniya, 2020). The paper provides a summary of the research data tables, question, and hypothesis developed. Further, the paper discusses survey research and data collection in relation to the research topic, including the pros and cons of the method utilized in relationship to the topic and research process.
Data Table Summary
The data was collected through the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) using the Identity Theft Supplement (ITS). The respondents were allowed to acknowledge whether they had experienced identity theft, including the misuse of their existing account and misuse of personal information in numerous fraudulent activities. Through the recent data tables, the individuals who had experienced identity theft were allowed to explain the nature of the incent and how it impacted them. The most recent data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics was released in 2018.
According to the report, released in 2021, about 23 million individuals, which represents about nine percent of the United States population we victims of identity theft with the last one year. As the data reveal, five percent of residents above 16 years had experienced credit card misuse. Also, the data tables show that four percent of individual in the age category had their personal bank account misused. There is another one percent that reported misuse of personal information to open new bank accounts. There is another one percent who has experienced a misuse of their personal information for other fraudulent activities, which include accessing jobs, medical care, jobs, and governmental benefits.
The data also highlights the costs, challenges, and distress resulting from identity theft. Through the data, we can see that financial losses amounted to $15.1 billion among the victims in 2018. Only 55% of the victims involved identity theft financial crime were able to r...