Community weekly poll: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft?
- 11/15/05 3:23 PM
Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft?
by Marc Bennett - 11/15/05 3:23 PM
Where, in your opinion, are you most vulnerable to identity theft?
On the Web (why?)
Over the phone (land/mobile) (why?)
Through the mail (why?)
Wallet theft (why?)
Home break-in (why?)
Credit applications at stores (why?)
From the papers in my trash (why?)
In the mirror (hey, that's MY face!)
Other (what is it?)
Postal mail is most vulnerable
by lewisedge - 11/15/05 4:09 PM In reply to: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft? by Marc Bennett
When mailboxes are on the street and unlocked it doesn't take a genius to steal the pre-approved credit card offers and credit card checks that arrive by the dozens in the mail. That's how my neighbor had her identity stolen. Although I shred all such offers after I've collected them from my mailbox, they are vulnerable to theft if I'm not home to collect my mail within moments of its delivery.
I agree with lewisedge and ...
by ChimericPhantom - 11/15/05 5:51 PM In reply to: Postal mail is most vulnerable by lewisedgeYes lewisedge, I agree with you especially if you have a curbside mailbox. I almost had 4 outgoing letters with personal checks in them stolen when my apartment complex's outgoing mailbox was raided. Thieves ripped the big door off its hinges to get at the outgoing mail. They also exposed individual boxes. I was lucky and barely missed it.
I also received a call from a debt collection agency today. I checked them out on the web and they made Bud Hibbs' top ten list of the worst ones. A man is or was using my address as contact info!
If enough of us are vocal enough I am sure Congress will listen. Every vote counts. English was chosen over German as our national language by just one vote. How different 20th century history would have been if German were the official American language.
My 2¢
by mrkillerman - 11/15/05 7:30 PM In reply to: I agree with lewisedge and ... by ChimericPhantomYou mean I would've had to learn German? Back to the topic. I see what you guys are saying about credit card companies sending out too many offers this is what I did. Call the number(1-888-5OPTOUT)(888-567-8688), or the website http://www.optoutprescreen.com/ unfortunately you may still recieve some offers. I thought it would be the internet but most sites have boosted their security, but puting your personal info in a phased page is just as bad as someone steeling out of you mailbox.
Websites boosted security?
by deium - 11/15/05 8:17 PM In reply to: My 2¢ by mrkillermanWatch the back end. Too many times websites acquired SSL certificates and secured their forms and page communication with 128 bit security only to follow-up with plain text emails confirming the transaction and containing way too much transactional and personal information in the open.
Security like that is hardly boosted.
deium
Identiy theft thru mail
by rebafan - 11/15/05 6:57 PM In reply to: Postal mail is most vulnerable by lewisedgeI had a credit card statement taken out of my mailbox which is on the street. From that statement, they had my account number and it took no genius to figure out my expiration date. They charged over $2000.00 over the internet. I have now stopped all my credit cards
Identiy theft thru mail
by rebafan - 11/15/05 6:58 PM In reply to: Postal mail is most vulnerable by lewisedgeI had a credit card statement taken out of my mailbox which is on the street. From that statement, they had my account number and it took no genius to figure out my expiration date. They charged over $2000.00 over the internet. I have now stopped all my credit cards statements from being mailed. I get them from the companies themselves over the internet... I have also had my wallet stolen, which is just as bad for identify theft. Rebafan
The MailMan is # of 150 people..........
by getsteppin - 11/15/05 7:07 PM In reply to: Postal mail is most vulnerable by lewisedge...WHO HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR 'PAPER TRAIL'
I WOULD SCAN/pc FAX AND DO MOST ALL I CAN ONLINE BEFORE I EVER WOULD EVER HAVE THAT MUCH TRUST IN ANOTHER HUMAN BEING WITH MY 'MAJOR STUFF' THESE DAYS.
USED TO BE, THE MAILMAN WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY....NOW HE'S THE MOST WATCHED.
SO IS THE MAILBOX OUT ON THE STREET IN FRONT OF OUR HOME, NOTHING OF HI-VALUE>>>...PERSONAL INFO, check or any money orders;is enetering the mailbox.....all that stuff IF absolutley necessarily GOES TO THE LOCAL POST OFFICE...FOR "SAFE KEEPING"
Ahhhh, THUS, THE GREATNESS OF THE INTERNET.
knock on wood....SINCE MAKING 'LAYERING' MY I.T. SECURITY BOTH ON THE NET, SURFING AND MY IN & OUTBOUND MAIL IVE NOT HAD THE THRILL OF BATTLING AN ON BOARD VIRUS...knock on wood, again!!!
Dishonest? Possible. Dumb? Absolutely.
by bill321 - 11/15/05 11:59 PM In reply to: The MailMan is # of 150 people.......... by getsteppinFive days a week, I have a great mailman. On the "fill-in" day of the week, I get an idiot in a postal uniform, who is just worthless. When he's all done delivering, the neighbors all get together & play musical mail with all of his misdeliveries. This has gone on for quite some time. He's not gotten any better at his job, and I think I'm gonna have to complain, and get the guy "reasigned." Hate to see the guy lose his job, but too much is at stake. I worry more about the dishonest people in my rapidly declining neighborhood, that might be getting my personal info handed to them by the bumbling mailman.
100% Agree
by rhanam - 11/16/05 4:01 AM In reply to: Postal mail is most vulnerable by lewisedgeThe best prevention for this is to opt out of receiving unsolicitated credit offers. If you read the fine print on the offer there is a number to call just like for the unsolicated phone calls.
lewisedge re:mailboxes
by Swampgal - 11/16/05 3:54 PM In reply to: Postal mail is most vulnerable by lewisedgeNot only do they get stolen from the mailboxes, or trash if they are not cut up into tiny pieces, are they easily accessible but the ones we all receive from companies that are pre-approved and activated by the first use trap us. We were victims, were sued without our knowledge and two years later we accidentally learned about it. After four years of lawyers, etc. we have finally succeeded in fixing it. Don't think we are the same happy go lucky people we were back then. Please check your credit and request a hold on your credit reports so anyone asking about you must contact you personally!!!!
Postal mail is most vulnerable
by goldie22 - 11/16/05 10:49 PM In reply to: Postal mail is most vulnerable by lewisedgeI totally agree that identity theft occurs more through postal mail. Credit card companies send out unsolicited credit card applications all the time, and they are very easy to spot in someone's mail. Loan paperwork and bank statements are also easy to spot. Sending this type of information in a different type of envelope might help - it certainly wouldn't hurt.
Postal mail vulnerable?
by JohnRichards - 11/19/05 5:27 PM In reply to: Postal mail is most vulnerable by lewisedgeI don't know what kind of bad neighborhood you live in, but in my neighborhood a stranger rifling through curbside mailboxes would ne noticed in a few seconds, and the police would be called. Also, I don't tempt fate by putting outgoing payments in the mailbox. I do all bill payments through my bank's online BillPay. That way the payment is guaranteed to be on time.
IT IS THE BANKS AND CREDIT CARD COMPANIES THEMSELVES !
by bilacuda - 11/15/05 4:26 PM In reply to: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft? by Marc Bennett
The banks and credit card companies do not report stolen cards to any law enforcement agency.
The banks and credit card companies hold the merchants responsible for all loses even thought they have the audacity to sell credit card protection. The merchants have absolutely no power of investigation. The merchant gets a chargeback, which is both a black mark on their record, another fee charge from the credit card company and the loss of both the merchandise and the funds. In other words the credit card company, by ranging up another fee for the credit card fraud, has made a profit. Do you really think that they are interested in stopping credit card fraud?
The Secret Service will ignore any loss below $100,000. No law enforcement agency anywhere tracks credit card losses below this amount.
It is time for the banks and credit card companies to be held responsible for encouraging theft and loses.
Lack of cooperation from Banks
by DepKurf - 11/15/05 4:59 PM In reply to: IT IS THE BANKS AND CREDIT CARD COMPANIES THEMSELVES ! by bilacudaAbout 2 years ago I investigated a burglary where a checkbook was stolen. I advised the victim to contact her bank and report the stolen checkbook. She was given a case number and this was given to the bank. I was present when she called the bank and requested that if the checks were used to hold on to them for evidence purposes.
About 2 weeks later I received faxes of the stolen checks. The fax copies were extremely poor (I still don't understand with today's technology, why faxes still look like crap). All the fax copies had a visible ink fingerprint (from the suspect). So natually we contacted the bank and requested the original checks so I could get the fingerprints of the suspect, since I couldn't read the name on the fax copied checks.
The bank's response, "We shreaded them." The dates on the fax copy checks were after when the victim notified the bank, so they knew to hold on to them. So I went off on a poor teller, who had nothing to do with the destruction of evidence.
The bottom line, banks don't like to help law enforcement. I haven't figured out why, but I figure that their logic is that it's easier to pay the victim back a couple of $1,000 dollars instead of investing the time to investigate, and possibly prosecute a criminal.
I guess our high mortgages have to pay for something.
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