VICTIM PRECIPITATION AND PROVOCATION

VICTIM PRECIPITATION AND PROVOCATION

Victim facilitation is a possibility in burglaries, motor vehicle thefts, and identity thefts. Charges of precipitation and provocation are hurled at vic- tims of murder, robbery, assault, and rape (see Chapter 10 for an extensive analysis).

A husband-and-wife team, each with a history of robbery arrests and drug abuse, embark on a dangerous course of action to solve their financial problems. Armed with a submachine gun, they barge into storefront social clubs operated by organized crime families and seize the mob- sters’ ill-gotten gains. After hitting four Mafia social clubs in different neighborhoods over three months, their highly provocative and predictably short-lived crime spree comes

B O X 5.5 The Perils of Identity Theft: What to Do and What Not to Do, According to the Experts

Many identity-theft prevention and self-help guidebooks suggest ways of avoiding trouble (for example, see May, 2001; Vacca, 2002; Frank, 2010; and Kelly, 2011). The recommendations are much more extensive and demanding than the advice given to individuals who want to protect their homes from burglars and their vehicles from car thieves.

Preventive Measures

Government agencies do their part in the campaign against victim facilitation by warning the public to manage personal information “wisely and cautiously.” The Fraud Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (2008) summarizes its advice about four ways to minimize risks by using the acronym SCAM.

Be “stingy” about giving out personal information.

“Check” your financial records regularly.

“Ask” to see a free credit report from one of the three credit bureaus every four months.

“Maintain” careful records of financial accounts.

The Federal Trade Commission (2008; 2011) spells out in greater detail the many precautions it recommends:

Keep important documents such as bank books and tax returns under lock and key, as well as computers and laptops full of personal information.

Stash away personal records so they aren’t readily available to roommates, party guests, domestic employees, or repairmen.

Use a paper shredder to destroy unsolicited preapproved credit card invitations, as well as unneeded receipts, bills, applications, forms, and account statements, to thwart thieves who pick through trash and recycling bins for items revealing personal information.

While away from home, destroy receipts from financial transactions at banks, ATMs, restaurants, and gasoline stations.

Promptly remove incoming letters from a mailbox, and take outgoing bills and checks directly to post office collection boxes.

Devise clever (rather than easily remembered but also easily guessed) passwords using a combination of let- ters, numbers, and special characters. Substitute crea- tive alternatives for a birth date or a mother’s maiden name for electronic accounts. Change these unique hard-to-crack passwords on a regular basis for each account.

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