09-13-2003, 06:00 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Is Identity Theft Getting Easier?
You'd think that progress in securing consumer's privacy has been made, given the recent spectacular reports of how easily SSNs and other valuable pieces of data are pulled down from the Internet, right? Guess again. Robert X. Cringely (ironically, an identity with two people behind it) recently had a very scary experience -- and found a trivial way to obtain several hundred thousand identities. 8O
"Sure enough, in less than an hour I had updated names, addresses, Social Security numbers and dates of birth for the more than 300,000 entries that were in common across both CD's. What I produced in that hour was all the information required to steal the identities of 300,000 people, most of whom would be considered to have high financial (if not emotional or artistic) net worth. If I was a real criminal I could use this data over a period of 4-6 weeks to apply for online credit cards and bank accounts, to order credit reports that list where the victims do their banking so I could loot those accounts, too. Before anyone would notice I could grab that Secret Service equivalent of $217,000 per victim for a total take of $65 billion, which certainly beats my day job."
As our lives get more connected, and we have more technology at our fingertips, I can't see this go anywhere but down. Do we have any hope in solving it?
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09-13-2003, 09:02 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 810
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That's pathetic. And thanks for posting the article. Amazing. That's the difficulty in mixing politics and government with technology. The first two can't develop and evolve at anywhere close to the speed of the latter. Like an old person in a wheelchair trying to compete with a Ferrari on the racetrack.
I guess two steps that people can take are first, to get a private mailbox. I have one. And I make effort not to have any mail sent to anywhere except there. That way, you don't have to deal with the braindead post office and their braindead employees.
Second, consider subscribing to a credit report monitoring service that lets you know everytime someone makes an inquiry. If not, then get a copy of your credit report at least twice a year and have it sent to your private mailbox. Keep an eye on things.
And yeah, shred or burn EVERYTHING.
Don't give your SS# to anyone. Sometimes you have to, but still...
Make effort not to subscribe to magazines. Do what you can to keep yourself as invisible as possible, otherwise, you'll be on every mailing list known to mankind, and the more your info is out there, the more opportunities there are for some of your info to get into the wrong hands.
Consider having two checking accounts. One for Paypal and small purchases where you can deposit small amounts of money at a time for those things, and then your regular account.
I know there are services that some credit card companies offer where they will issue you a temporary credit card number that is good for only one purchase and then is discarded. It's linked of course, to your true credit card number, but by having it good for only one purchase, anybody who might try to use it will be out of luck. It processes the same way as your true number, but it's better for when you're making purchases over the internet.
Some restaurants, like Denny's, will display your entire credit card number on the receipt they give you. Stupid. I found a receipt on the ground just yesterday near my home, and discovered that it belonged to a neighbor. There it was, from stupid Denny's, with his entire name and credit card number. If I were a criminal, I could have used it so easily. Do you know how easy it would be for Denny's employees to steal these names and numbers? I won't even eat at restaurants like that just because they're so careless with things like that. I say, avoid places like Denny's and give your money to someplace else. There are too many other places to eat at that will actually use their brains. Not to mention, life's too short to eat at Denny's anyway, lol...
Just using common sense is what's important. Being cautious and not so trusting. And taking advantage of the tools we do have to protect ourselves. Beyond that, there's prayer. Either that, or go live in the mountains or a cave somewhere It's a cold, messed up world we live in, but we don't have to live in fear.
Crazy stuff.
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09-13-2003, 02:51 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 163
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The problem I see in the US is that everything is based on credit. You need a credit card for EVERYTHING over there, it's ridiculous. And you have to give everybody and their grandmother your ssn! Why?!?! I mean why on earth would your video rental place need to have your ssn on record? I don't get it.
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09-13-2003, 03:06 PM
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,878
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You know, it's funny...
Your Social Security card has written right on it "Not to be used for identification purposes"... Yet look at your medical insurance card (and probably others as well), what do they use for your ID: you got it, your Sicial Security Number...
I was in the doctors office yesterday, three people went up to the window after me, three times they were each asked for their Soc, and three times they gave it out loud enough for everyone in the office to hear...
And if you have the Soc, you can get anything...
Steve
__________________
"My eyes are rolling back in my head so far I can see my grey matter bubbling and frothing from reading this thread....bleh." JD
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09-13-2003, 03:17 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 5,133
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And then there's all the schools where student ID == SSN, and so it's given to all teachers, etc. Grades are listed on professors' doors according to ID....
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09-13-2003, 03:52 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 174
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Kati Compton
And then there's all the schools where student ID == SSN, and so it's given to all teachers, etc. Grades are listed on professors' doors according to ID....
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And these student IDs are used so frequently for web logons etc, that you can approach your average student and ask them for their student ID without even giving a reason with a 50% or greater chance that they will simply tell you without reason. Signing up for clubs on campus frequently involves SID numbers for instance.
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09-13-2003, 04:38 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Great post Janak! Some other things that can help with identity theft.
� Use a financial program like Money or Quicken and immediately get all of your bank accounts and credit card accounts online with it. You will notice suspicious activity within days, not 6 weeks later when you get your statement. I check mine daily. Part of the morning routine. :morning:
� Where available, suspend all paper statements. Many will email you a link when they are ready and you can download PDF files over HTTPS and print them yourself or just archive them on your hard drive.
� Stop mailing checks from your mailbox. THe article says this, but I don't mail any checks period. They are sent from some computer somehwere - I use online checking with my bank. Many aren't checks at all but direct debit transfers. I don't recommend you allow the vendor to just ding you each month. Utilities love doing this. Make them send you a statement then you initiate the check. That way if the utility's system is hacked or just messed up due to a glitch, your account is unaffected.
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09-13-2003, 08:29 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,124
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My credit card number was stolen once, probably off a discarded receipt since it was someone in my home town. I know that because he used it to call a bunch of phone sex numbers and they gave me the phone number that the calls originated from.
But anyway, thanks to online banking, I knew about the theft and had the number cancelled and the money back in my account after only about 3 or 4 days. Plenty of people think online banking is insecure, but for me, I couldn't live without it!
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09-13-2003, 09:00 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by PetiteFlower
But anyway, thanks to online banking, I knew about the theft and had the number cancelled and the money back in my account after only about 3 or 4 days. Plenty of people think online banking is insecure, but for me, I couldn't live without it!
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ONline banking with SSL is far more secure than physical world banking when Joe Schmoe is working the register at Wal-Mart.
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09-14-2003, 03:28 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 667
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Steven Cedrone
You know, it's funny...
Your Social Security card has written right on it "Not to be used for identification purposes"... Yet look at your medical insurance card (and probably others as well), what do they use for your ID: you got it, your Sicial Security Number...
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They mean the card is not to be used as proof that you're the person named on the card. It doesn't mean your SSN can't be used as an identifying number for you.
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