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Naturally, there are several sensible ways to reduce credit card crime.
Banks and other credit card providers are doing the best they can to
alert the public to various scams criminals use to steal cards or gain
the security details, and how to protect their cards. The providers have
developed (and continue to develop) a range of technological protection
mechanisms such as chip and pin and three-digit security codes. Of
course, members of the public have to be on their guard and take the
necessary precautions against credit card fraud. In addition, increasing
the chances of being caught and heavy punishments will deter some
criminals.
However, as necessary as they
are, these measures will never make a big impact – they only treat the
symptoms and hold back the flood. The real problem is that a few people
deliberately wish to steal from others. This is clearly evident in the
systematic, careful and sustained way credit card fraudsters plan their
actions and spend considerable time and money inventing new schemes and
items of equipment to help in the theft.
Surely,
the ideal situation is for people NOT TO WANT TO steal from others. This
is where crime education comes in. If done properly in a values
education mode, crime education gets people, both young and old, to make
explicit the negative consequences their actions will have on themselves
and others. However, knowledge is not enough – they have to feel the
pain (empathise) of those they hurt. They have to experience today some
of the pain (shame) their credit card fraud will be causing themselves
and their families. They have to feel the anguish of a few wasted years
in jail.
This
empathy and self-realisation cannot be achieved by making crime
education a factual exercise. Instructing people in schools and other
settings on how people steal cards, how they build skimming machines and
how the proceeds of credit card fraud are often used to fund
serious organised crime such as drug trafficking and terrorism, will
have little impact in changing behaviours.
Crime
education has to be very personal. This can only be achieved in
extensive values education discussion, during which real and difficult
questions are asked honestly and in detail.
Often,
when people call for crime education, they don’t really
understand what it means. By investing just £5 million of that £535
million stolen, Card Watch and APACS could contribute a module to a
crime education curriculum that would help teachers and youth workers
give a long-lasting solution.
Get a more in
depth understanding of how crime education conducted as values education
can reduce social problems such as youth crime by reading Values
education: can it alleviate social problems? available from the CAVE
website.
Dr
Bill would be delighted to talk at your next conference or event and
give more details on how a values education approach can improve the
effectiveness of crime education. Contact him on
bill@valueseducation.co.uk
Copyright © 2008 Values Education Ltd
Note to editors. Feel free to use this article as long as the
following details are retained. “A values education article from CAVE
http://www.valueseducation.co.uk ”
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