Identity Theft: The Sandy Bigalow Patterson Story

In 2013, a man by the name of Sandy Bigalow Patterson received a phone call about one of his credit cards. He was told that there was a possibility that his identity had been stolen and if he provided them with his personal information, the bank would provide him with a free credit security service. Trusting the caller, Sandy proceeded to provide the caller with his social security number, his full name, and his birthday. Thinking his average life and family was safe another day, Sandy hung up with the kind lady from the bank and got on with his work day. Little did Sandy know, he had just given all of his important and personal information to an identity thief.

As the new Sandy Patterson (I am going to call her Sandy 2 even tough her name is really Dianna) ran up credit card debit and was living large, the real Sandy Patterson was being arrested and threatened by his boss because of the debt the thief had run up and the crimes she had committed. The fake Sandy Patterson in the movie Identity Thief (starring Melissa McCarthy and who doesn't love her) is a perfect example of the identity thieves that exist today.

There are many types of identity theft that these crooks partake in. The first is financial. This using another identity to obtain money, goods, and services. In the case of Sandy and Sandy 2, Sandy 2 ran up all of Sandy's credit cards on frivolous items like jet skis and used it for services like hair appointments. The second type of theft is criminal. This is when thieves pose as another when they are arrested or convicted. In the case of Sandy 2, she was arrested for drunk and disorderly and used her new identity as Sandy Bigalow Patterson when she went through processing. The third type is identity cloning. this means the crook is assuming the other persons identity in daily life. In the movie, Sandy 2 has a fake license made up for her stolen identity and lives her days as Sandy Bigalow Patterson.

The forth type of identity theft is synthetic. This means the numbers and birth dates stolen are real, but the social information surrounding the person are fabricated. Sandy 2 used the real Sandy Patterson's information, but turned him into a female and created an elaborate and fake background story. The fifth type of theft is medical. Sandy 2 does not portray this type, but it is the use of an identity to obtain medical care or drugs. The sixth and final type of identity theft is Ghosting. Sandy 2 does not commit this type of theft in the movie, but this is when a person steals the identity and/ or social role of a dead person.

In order to commit all of these forms of identity theft, the thieves have to obtain the information necessary. Ways that thieves get private information include finding papers containing the information in the trash, taking personal information off of people's computers, regular theft like robbery or burglary, getting people to provide the information, getting it off of the internet, and even Facebook. In the case of Sandy Bigalow Patterson, he received a call from Sandy 2 who was pretending to be an employee at his bank and he readily provided all of the information Sandy 2 needed to rob him blind.

Sandy 2 used something called phishing in order to get the original Sandy's information. Phishing is when someone sends you some sort of message to get your private information. Sandy 2 did not send a message exactly, but she personally called the original Sandy to get his personal information. A message sent out for the purpose of phishing will have particular characteristics. One is seemingly legitimate sources. They will contain names of banks and companies that have credible names. Another thing they could include are familiar URLs in links to external sites. For example, if the sender wanted the message to look like it came from google, the URL would contain a subtle difference like a period or number and the rest would be google' usual URL. The purpose of these messages is to get someone to provide private information, so a lot of times they will say that the company needs them the person to "verify" information so that a service can be provided to them. Something to look for in the messages is how professional the message is and if there are any obvious spelling mistakes. Those two characteristics can hint that the message's sender just wants to steal your information.

No one wants to have their identity stolen, but it does happen. If you are careful and protect your information, it will lessen your chances of ending up like Sandy Bigalow Patterson.

Beware: Jigsaw the Stalker

If you have not heard of the infamous Saw installation by now you are seriously missing out. In this intense and thrilling movie series, a man by the name of Jigsaw decides to take the law and others morality into his own hands. He captures criminals varying from drug abusers to murderers to rapists. He captures these criminals and puts them to the test. They are given the option to better themselves or die. The ways that he tests these criminals are brutal. Examples include blinding them with knives and cutting their own feet off.  In order to find these criminals, Jigsaw himself had to commit criminal acts and multiple things we talked about in class. Two major things in CMC that he used were surveillance and stalking.

The first step in Jigsaw’s plan was always surveillance. He used a variety of ways to watch his “victims”. He installed cameras in their homes, cars, and places of work. He also used others to watch them. He forced people to follow his intended targets around. They would find out what they did every day, what their habits were, and places they frequented. He even watched them once he captured them and put them through “tests”. He installed cameras in every room they were going to be in, and in one case he even pretended to be dead and laid himself on the floor of the room that they were chained in. The extent to which he watched them was definitely severe. On top of that he was almost a total stranger to many of these people. He was very covert in his watching. He did not disrupt his victims so they certainly did not know they were being watched.  He crosses many lines in terms of the surveillance that he pulls and because of this he can be categorized as a stalker.

There are specific behaviors associated to stalking, and Jigsaw shows many, but not all of these behaviors. The first behavior is Hyper-intimacy. Jigsaw does not show this behavior, but it can be defined as creepy romantic advances. The second behavior is mediated contact. Jigsaw does not seem to use the internet, but it can be assumed that he had to have used it a little to get basic information about his victims. The third behavior is extreme surveillance. Jigsaw took his surveillance above and beyond and could definitely be said to be more than extreme. He tracked them and watched their every move and recorded every single one of their habits. This is probably the behavior of stalking that was most extreme in the case of Jigsaw.

The next behavior exhibited in stalking and ORI-specific behaviors is invasion and intrusion. These two words can imply many things, but in the case of Jigsaw, he it literally and to the extreme. In order to obtain his victims he would break into their homes, cars, and places of work. He is an intruder to a tee.  He would harm and drug his victims after breaking in and then transport them to the location of their “tests” while they were unconscious. The next behavior that can also be seen in jigsaw is harassment and intimidation. Once captured and placed where he wanted them, he would intimidate them to get them to complete their tasks. He would call them weak or tell them that they have been living their lives all wrong. He had no need to harass his victims though. Harassment would be constantly contacting an individual and trying to persuade them to talk to you or date you.

The next stalking and ORI-specific behavior is threatening. Jigsaw uses a large amount of threatening, and without his threats his “tests” would not work.  Along with the people meant to be tested, Jigsaw would also capture people around the individual who had meaning to them. Jigsaw would then give his “test subjects” proof through videos or pictures that he had their family or friends and he would threaten to harm them if the subject did not complete the tasks necessary to pass the test.  The final behavior, and a big one, that surfaces in the Saw movies is a proxy pursuit. A proxy pursuit is when a third party is used to access the intended target. This can be done by going through a friend or family member, but in the case of Jigsaw, he used his past victims to get to his new test subjects. He would send survivors out to stalk and capture the new victims for him and he would get them to do so by threatening their lives once again.

Jigsaw’s actions in every single Saw movie were those of a stalker. Even when he was dead he was still finding a way to hunt people down and out a giant hole in their lives. His meticulous ways and plotting mind both help to make him one of the most advanced and greatest stalkers ever.

Friends with Benefits

I think everyone can agree that Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake are some of the best actors and performers of this century, but they both take these amazing skills to the next level in their movie "Friends with Benefits". Not only are they electric when they are together, but they also back up the things learned in class about the tern friends with benefits.

In the movie, both characters become best friends through work. In the first scenes, the are both dumped by the people they are seeing. With a bad taste for relationships in both of their mouths, the two cross paths due to their jobs. They tour New York together and continue to hang out after they are done working together, and they both soon realize how fed up with relationships that they are and they both wish they could have the sex aspect of the relationship but none of the emotion or heart break. This is how this easy going "love story" begins.

In class we learned about the pros and cons of a friends with benefits relationship as established by professionals. Lets start with the pros:
One would be sex with a trusted partner. In the case of Mila and Justin's characters, they have become friends with no intentions of dating, so they could count on each other and trust each other. Another aspect many see as an advantage is there is no commitment. All the "relationship" is is meaningless sex, or that is the expectation. Another term that could be used is a booty call, but the difference is that the two participants hang out as casual friends during the day. Many want the satisfaction from physical relations without the risk of being let down or having their heart broken. This type of relationship is seen mostly in  the college setting. This can be assumed that it has to do with the college setting. Although the friends with benefits type of relationship can be very appealing to  some, it is not an option for others due to the disadvantages of this type of relationship.

Now that we know the pros, its time for the cons of a friends with benefits relationship:
A large fear of many is that it could possibly complicate the friendship, after all they were friends before anything else. I can not deny that there is a real chance that the friendship could be ruined if the casual sex only relationship does not work out. Another fear many have with a friends with benefits relationship is "catching feelings". The term "catching feelings" refers to the chance that one of the participants might start to have more than friendly feelings for the other or even fall in love. This could also ruin the friendship if the other participant does not feel the same strong feelings. "catching feelings" also violates the rules of a friends with benefits type relationship. The point of this type of deal is to have all of the physical aspects of a romantic relationship without the chance of heart break or any commitment. The fear of "catching feelings" is what brings in the final fear of getting hurt when the relationship/ agreement terminates. It is a non-exclusive relationship, so there is the chance of one of the participants falling for someone other than the other participant.
Even though the negatives seem to outweigh the positives, the only reasons people seem not to partake in these types of relationships is if they have moral or religious reasons or they feel strongly that sex belongs only in a romantic relationship.

In the case of Mila and Justin, they do both start to develop stronger feelings for each other and it almost ruins their relationship. In the end they decide to pursue a romantic relationship and live happily ever after

Though being friends with benefits is not a romantic relationship or a relationship that demands commitment, it still requires the amount of communication that a romantic relationship would have. In order for the relationship to work, it is important for the partners to communicate effectively. In order to communicate effectively, it is important to do three key things. The first is to be open. Talk to each other about feelings, attitudes, and opinions. The second is to be kind. Respond to each other in a calm kind manner and let each other know that you are listening. The third and final thing is to be flexible. It is important to not get frustrated if one participant does not want to be physical at certain times or jump to the conclusion they are cutting you out. Mila and Justin did all three things and their friends with benefits relationship worked, and the minute they stopped it went up in flames.

Though it is a light-hearted and fun movie, "friends with Benefits" really drives home the points taught in CAS 283 as well as supporting the research done by professionals. Remember, this type of relationship is not for everyone, and, even though Mila Kunis and Justine Timberlake make it seem fantastic, one should only get involved in a friends with benefits relationship if they are mentally prepared for one.

Mean Girls and the Johari Window

Many students by this point have probably heard of the famous movie "Mean Girls". For those who have not, the movie is about a girl named Cady who has just moved to America from Africa and id being enrolled in public school for the first time. Cady is faced with the brutal high school culture that I am sure we are all too familiar with. Cady's largest obstacle Regina George is a high schooler who provokes jealousy, anger, and self-loathing. No matter how popular she may be, every one person sees her in a different way. This is partially because of how she portrays herself to different people, but she sees herself all together differently than how anyone else views her. The model to describe this differentiating of views is called the Johari Window.

The first part of the window that others see Regina George through is the open panel. This means that she sees exactly what others see. In her case, they all see that Regina is a pretty, popular, blond girl with a good fashion sense. This falls under open because Regina knows this about herself (which makes her very stuck up) and so do the people around Regina.

Another window that Regina George falls into is the Blind panel. The Blind panel is defined as any characteristics that can be seen by others, but is not known to the self. In Regina's case, others saw how sadistic and cruel she really was. She lowered other girls self-esteem on a daily basis without realizing how mean she really was. Her sadistic nature adds a lot to the plot of the movie, including the addition of the burn book. Towards the end of the movie, Regina begins to realize the power she held over the school and noticed/ came to terms with how heartless she could be, so she ended up throwing her "friend" (Cady) under the bus to make herself look better. Along with Regina, Cady also happens to fall in this panel of the Johari Window. After becoming friends with Regina as part of a plan to thwart her power, Cady turns into one of Regina's minions and turns in a cruel person without realizing it herself. Eventually this trait does fall into the open panel as Cady's friends make her aware of how she had been acting.

A few of the characters fall under the hidden panel of the Johari Window. The hidden panel is the category where characteristics that only the self can see and knows they exist fall into. Regina George was seen by other as a self-confident, stuck-up, pretty, perfect girl. Deep down she had her own problems. She was constantly worried about her weight and throughout the movie tried all kinds of ridiculous diets. Cady deep down had a want to be noticed and popular, but she hid that from her friends, Janice and Damien. She never let anyone around her know that she had this desire and when the opportunity presented itself and they wanted Cady to get in Regina's friend group to sabotage her, she jumped on it.  Usually it is just personality traits that fall into the Johari window, but for the sake of example an event from the movie can be used. Cady's friend Janice let everyone see that she had an extreme hate for Regina George, but she never let anyone know why. Regina and Janice had actually been best friends, but Regina had spread a mean rumor about Janice to hide something that she had done. The fact that they used to be friends was in the hidden panel and the only two that could see that they had been friends were Regina and Janice.

The final panel of the Johari window is the Unknown. Unfortunately is is hard to make a connection for this panel as it is defined as unknown to both the self and others. No one knows what is in the unknown panel until it eventually surfaces and by the time it surfaces, it falls into another panel of the Johari Window. Cady or Regina could have many unknown personality traits such as regret for a certain thing or a love for something else, but no one will know that it is there until it moves into another panel of the Johari Window.

Mean Girls can connect to a lot of terms pertaining to communications, but it does in its own funny way. A lot can be learned from Cady and Regina, and I suggest we all absorb those lessons. Now all I can do is look at the lessons I've learned and look forward to the sequel to come out this year.

A Cinderella Story: How Technology Made for a Great Movie and Practically Destroyed a Relationship

Many girls who are now around there twenty's have probably seen the hit movie A Cinderella Story starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray. I know that I have! The movie is as the title describes, a teenage girl ( Sam) who is used for labor and amusement by her stepmother and two evil step sisters. She then finds her one true love (Austin) but he does not know her identity. However, this Cinderella story is not completely the classic tale that we all know and love. Rather than having to be home before midnight, her "prince" does not know her identity due to an online chat room which she met him in. The hidden identity of the two lovers is what complicates the relationship, and almost destroys it.
When anyone in society chooses to communicate over any form of technology (rather than in person) they fore fit the opportunity to observe key social ques that we as humans use to determine motive and emotion. In order to make judgments, we use five key non-verbal behaviors to fully read the people we are talking to. Those behaviors are labeled physical appearance, proxemics, kinesics, paralanguage, and haptics.
Physical appearance is the first thing we use to make judgments about others. It may sound superficial, but it is an important part of our social process. We use characteristics like gender, possessions clothing, and body type to determine how the people around us initially make us feel. In the case of Sam and Austin, they made their first judgments based on  emotionless words communicated through the internet. They were deprived of the initial meeting where they could feel each other out in a way based on looks.
Proxemics are judgments we can make about people based on space and the things that they deem their own territory.  Relationships between two people an be determined by others based on how close to each other they are. For example, two people who are keeping their distance can be assumed to not be fond of each other. Proxemics do not play a heavy role in A Cinderella Story,  but other non-verbal communication methods do.
Because they were communicating through email and chatroom, Sam and Austin lacked Kinesic communication. Kinesics include facial expressions and eye contact and are mostly use to show and determine emotion. Kinesics would have allowed Sam and Austin to determine how they felt about each other through facial expressions. Words are not always able to fully explain emotions which is why Kinesics are important.
Paralanguage is another was to communicate emotion. Paralanguage covers everything in the vocal channel except for actual words. This includes tone of voice and pitch. This is the only way that sarcasm can be communicated. Without Paralanguage, Sam and Austin could have said something sarcastically and the other person would have taken it to heart. It could have broken apart their relationship that only existed through technology.
Finally comes Haptics. Haptics are communication through touch. Sam and Austin did not communication in person, therefore they lacked any physical touch. One would have been able to tell if the other felt comfortable around them had they had access to touch. If Sam had liked Austin she likely would have touched his arm, and if Austin had liked Sam we would have been able to tell if he touched her leg. If neither if them liked each other, they would have slightly positioned their bodies slightly away from each other.
All of these aspects of non-verbal communication are critical in human interaction. Without these specific functions we would have lots of trouble or be unable to decipher the emotion and meaning behind others words and action. By giving us the opportunity to interact through text, technology hinders the ability to see emotion and at times be completely  to who the person really is. In the case of Sam and Austin, the lack of facial expression, touch, and tone of voice hindered their relationship. They were unable to determine the true intent of one another and to who they were even talking to. We can learn from them that without non-verbal behaviors in communication, the world would be a different and even broken place.