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Community weekly poll: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft?
- 11/15/05 3:23 PM
Solutions to Identity Theft
by deium - 11/15/05 7:49 PM In reply to: identity theft by alanmidsUnder the spirit of the constitution, I believe that privacy is afforded. If not directly then by virtue of the pursuit of happiness.
There are solutions to the identity theft problem that require diligence without paranoia. Most things used to prevent identity theft simply keep honest people honest, but you can make it extremely hard for the crooks as well.
On the Web - use SSL https://websiteaddress/ like PayPal does. If the site doesn't provide SSL then consider shopping around until they do.
Over the phone, refuse to yield information until you have proof that the person you are speaking to is indeed the people you need to speak with directly.
Through the mail - use a PO Box. It saves a whole lot of problems, and get to know your postmaster. Do not yield information to wild claims, rewards, and prizes.
Wallet theft - first off, never carry your SSN and make sure you know your card numbers and their telephone numbers to cancel everything quickly.
Home break-in - Staples has safes, get one.
Credit applications - use a bank Visa/MasterCard. Do we really need the credit and the debt load? If we do, go to your bank and see about a loan. I trust very few financial institutions with my data, and drastically limit who I ask to borrow from. A cheap $300 limit 1.9% APR card is not worth enough for me to sell my personal data to a credit card company and the application goes to the trash. If I am that broke that I need the card, I would say that I am too broke for the purchase.
From the papers in my trash - Staples has shredders. Shred everything, shred it all! Makes great lining for hamster cages.
My face? Well, pity the guy that desires to look as bad as I do - I might not call that a theft but a plea for help.
Other - Gee, I noticed that email was not mentioned and would like a great opportunity to share more on this one. But I am holding out for a spot on CNN.
Electronic information can and should be locked down in a very high end secure ''For your eyes only'' fashion. All sensitive electronic information should be encrypted and not with the little tools you find selling on eBay. This is not a sales call, but you would be surprised to learn that you probably already have some software for this and are just uninformed. Do you use Windows 98 or above? Then you already have the software to needed secure your email.
For more detail, ask CNET to ask me to do a series. This is not a zero cost, but a low cost solution. Identity theft falls in line with what I would call info terrorism and should and needs to have an information lockdown. Information and communications shut down, and accessed in a ''for your eyes only'' fashion. The big boys already have it and have had it for 7 years (IBM products mfg 1998) and maybe longer.
More later.
deium
We are our worst enemy
by bknowledge - 11/15/05 5:25 PM In reply to: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft? by Marc Bennett
Many of us full out forms for new credit cards or a free gift and download stuff from the strangest places. You may second guess entering your info on a website at home but will log into your bank accounts from hotspots at Starbucks. We will always be open to ID theft so all we can do is cut our percentage of being attacked and pushing the Senate bill over the Congress bill will help to do it.
Sad fact about Identity Theft
by Joriel - 11/15/05 6:07 PM In reply to: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft? by Marc Bennett
is that most often the culprit is a friend of family member. The mass-theft of strangers gets more media attention, but statistically the cases of it being someone known to the victim merely swiping the information directly from their home/purse/breifcase far outstrip the cases of strangers. But usually the damage isn't in the millions or billions and doesn't make good copy.
And what do you want to bet the vast majority of those victims never dreamed that freind or family member was like that? What do we really know about the people around us, even those that we grew up with? It's all about trust, but you never really know until it's too late.
Watching your back . . .
by kinkstar - 11/16/05 12:28 AM In reply to: Sad fact about Identity Theft by JorielThat's right, many of those ''watching your back'' are really just lurking, waiting to take advantage of you behind your back . . .
Before I could get totally moved out of his grasp, my ex-boyfriend took my ATM card (without me knowing of course), and withdrew the limit (anywhere from 200 to 300$ plus fees) at about 10 different machines. Final total in less than half an hour was just short of 2 grand . . . I was lucky, there was a little over 5K$ in the account.
Now, I happened to discover this ROBBERY, by accident as it was happening, because I called Pizza Sl*t, for me and my father who was helping me move out, and they refused my check over the phone. I just put 5K$ in my account the day before (from my father) and figured it was a posting error and agreed to pay cash when the pizza got here. While waiting for delivery, I called the bank to learn my account was suspended due to suspicious activity. A live person tells me what's just happened within the last hour, cancels the card and takes info to start a fraud report - including the name and full description of the "thief" as I know him to be.
A call to the police then does nothing to further the process of holding my ex accountable for this ROBBERY. Since I was still living in the same place, there's no way to prove he didn't have my permission (to STEAL from me!). I stupidly told them honestly that my ex had used the card previously, though it was not recently, was only a deposit of money he owed me and was not a withdrawal. Didn't matter, once or a thousand times. It was allowed before was good enough for them to exclude getting involved in a "domestic" issue. The police advised me to take my ex to small claims court to get my money.
So, anyway, nothing ever happened to him. The bank never pursued him, though they reimbursed me for every single penny, including all the fees charged.
As far as I know the bank never did anything to prove it was even stolen from me. I mean, they don't know that I'm not still with the sh*thead and did it to get over on them . . .
My ex never admitted to doing it, only laughed in my face when I accused him of taking my card. I lied and told him the bank had his picture at the ATM machines making the withdrawals and would be charging him . . . he just laughed ''yeah, right'' which only made me more angry because as far as I could ever tell in conversations with their fraud department - they never pulled any pictures or simply did anything in order to charge him.
Maybe I did get all my money back, but they didn't owe me! Well, they did, but THEY didn't. I mean, I admit I should have been more aware of everything at the time, but was more interested in just getting out. It makes me sick my ex got away with it, and nothing happened to him.
All of us pay for this - in lousy interest rates and fees out the ying/yang any time you use YOUR money the bank keeps SAFE for you.
Identity Theft
by mars49 - 11/15/05 6:09 PM In reply to: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft? by Marc Bennett
The Web is just what it says it is a Hack Haven out of control. There is no safe way to ensure 100% security of your vital info. Until someone starts to really care that can be of influence we all are in danger.
identity theft
by Brenda Thorsen - 11/15/05 6:25 PM In reply to: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft? by Marc Bennett
I think we are vulnerable by all of the above, as long as thert are those out there looking and lurking we are vulnerable
We are often most vulnerable via the U.S. Mail.
by mininchico - 11/15/05 6:27 PM In reply to: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft? by Marc Bennett
I am the Community Director of a 160 unit apartment community in California. I often either receive mail from other residents or find mail to be forwarded on top of the mail boxes.
As a credit card owner, I am amazed at how careless people are with the mail! I know that most if not all of this mail includes peoples personal info. Frequently, it is bank statements, credit cards, bank cards, personal bills...anything with name, SSN, telephone, address, account numbers. I worry now that even though i pay many of my bills online, some of my mail may get into the wrong hands!
You are absolutely right!
by jimm4478 - 11/15/05 6:56 PM In reply to: We are often most vulnerable via the U.S. Mail. by mininchicoI am also a resident in an apartment complex with community postal boxes. Residents routinely leave misdirected mail and mail from previous occupants all over the top of the table and on top of mailboxes.
Residents also throw unwanted mail that clearly shows a name, address, and apartment # into the wastebasket without even at least ripping it up.
The USPS has to take blame for this too, when their carriers keep placing the wrong mail in the wrong mailboxes.
Funny thing is that the USPS has NEVER lost a bill addressed to me...
Other=all of the above
by whozethere - 11/15/05 6:55 PM In reply to: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft? by Marc Bennett
I have witnessed everything from the in store clerk loudly "sharing" someone's SSN as it is being typed into the keyboard to knowing an insurance fraud case settled when handsfree phone conversations were recorded by a radio set. The home mail delivery system is extremely vulnerable. You face should be the least. The only true protection is live an Amish lifestyle.
Totally agreeing.. - completing with..
by blomvalle - 11/15/05 11:56 PM In reply to: Other=all of the above by whozethereThe moneymaking attitude in all our Industrial contries makes us "smallpeople" defenceless. The economic business has the means and power to "make the rules" by lobbying our congressmen & -women (or likely). They (the politicians) are too easily manipulated.
Other=Everywhere
by cmartin - 11/16/05 6:05 AM In reply to: Other=all of the above by whozethereI thought this was a third-world-country problem, but with collective paranoia turning the wheels of politics and economy, it has gone worldwide. I have to identify myself everywhere I go, show my ID, get my picture taken, say where I am going, who am I seeing and why. This is enough information to commit any crime under my name; thank god not many have a creative approach towards personal information 
Risk Assessment
by strickjh2005 - 11/15/05 7:06 PM In reply to: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft? by Marc Bennett
Risk can be thought of likelihood X threat.
Since all threats are almost equivalent, likelihood is the major factor in deciding which is most risky.
The chance is dictated by the number of people who can steal the identity and the number of people who are at risk.
Since everyone in America gets mail and has any credit probably has a residence the the numbers approach 95% of people.
The number of people who are online are similarly. Approximately 85% of households in the US have internet.
The real difference is in the intelligence needed to take information. Any nublet can steal garbage it takes some intelligence to steal info from a computer.
So you should be able to conclude that garbage is a greater risk since more people can easily steal garbage than info from a computer.
Risky Assessments
by deium - 11/15/05 8:08 PM In reply to: Risk Assessment by strickjh2005Yes, but there are but a handful of people who have proximity to my garbage can in comparison to the millions of simutaneously used IP addresses that might attempt to hack at my computer through my IP.
Do not be fooled by easy answers
by haywoodwhy - 11/15/05 7:21 PM In reply to: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft? by Marc Bennett
Hello,
I really appreciate this discussion, but we all need to understand the complexity of the digital world, and our immersion in it, as an integral piece of the answer. How many of us do just one of these activities? None, or very few. The answer has to be that all of the selections are equally as important. Any venue has become a means for identity theft, with all of its accomplices. Until we close out all of these avenues of access to our personal information we will be just as vulnurable as before.
There are way to many thieves and criminals out there to think that they are all going to use one venue.
Watch your behind in everything that you do and you may be safe.
Who said the answer would be easy.
Intelligence, my friends, can overcome ignorance, but intelligence will never consider that it has narrowed down the answer to just one area.
Identity Theft
by aholiab - 11/15/05 7:23 PM In reply to: Where are you most vulnerable to identity theft? by Marc Bennett
Mywife and I were recent victims of identity theft. Someone got our bank account number and the bank routing number printed their own checks and passed them in a city about 600 miles from where we live. We have had to go through a lot of things to straighten this out. Do not count on the police for much help they pursue these investigations based on monetary loss. We had over $3000.00 wrote on our account. To my knowledge no arrests have been made. One company has form letters from the local D.A's office they mailed me threatening immenent arrest. You are guilty until you prove yourself innocent! Do not give out your S.S number or Driver's license number, pay cash where possible. Our representatives work for the companies and foreign governments not for us. We have to change this or we will be in real trouble. There was an article in the local newspaper this weekend saying indentity theft is not a major problem, that is wrong I know of at least 4 people where I work whom it has happened to.
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