Community archive

Ask something
Discussion Locked

ID Theft and National Security

0 helpful
9 replies

by craig herberg

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

If it turns out, as I believe, that enemies of the United States are behind a lot of the major ID thefts in the US, that would mean that a lot of money is going to our enemies. Can we therefore surmise that those who mishandle our identity information, by means of their poor stewardship of our identities, are also responsible for endangering our national security?

Craig Herberg

9 replies

by deepsand

1) Two-thirds of ID Fraud involves the use of Synthetic IDs, as opposed to Stolen ones.

2) The away and by far largest single source of information used in ID Fraud is derived from physical documents that were either lost, stolen, or improperly discarded.

3) Of those cases of ID Fraud which are solved, over half are perpetrated by the victim's friends and/or family members.

Source: Bank Technology News

To quote Pogo, "We have met the enemy and he is us!"

by craig herberg

It's clear why the industry, as represented by your quoted source, prefers for us to think about little old ladies who lose their purses, instead of the major breaches, such as Choicepoint and LexisNexis, where hundreds of thousands of identity records were stolen. These major breaches concern me and probably a few other people, as well, including Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) [Source: Washington Post]

Craig Herberg

by deepsand

These stats come from data which financial institutions are required to report regularly, in great detail, to various regulatory bodies.

They are NOT numbers which the industry itself publishes.

By the way, the largest single category of banking fraud is still the good old forged check!

by dafe2

I allways wondered what the numbers were. I to keep a healthy bit of paranoia in myself and others with technology and paper based personal info.

I don't even supply my name 'for the receipt' or for 'the warranty' when a sales rep or sales clerk asks for it.

DETEST Point of sale systems that require a sales clerk to ask me for my name & then try to push for the information.

Don't get me started on the WEB stuff. LOL

by bfilmfan

Just remember that it is pretty much the law that you must supply your name when:

Returning an item for a refund. People don't like this one much, but if you refuse to provide a name, they can refuse to make a refund. It's on of the anti-shop lifting laws.

When paying cash for an item over a certain amount, I think it's still ten thousand dollars.

And why bother to protect yourself when every city government in the world sells their tax roles to mailing lists, which thoughtfully list how much the home is worth, if there is a mortgage on the property, and how well you pay your taxes.

by dafe2

Seems like a whole lot of work for a little bit of cash.

Admitedly 'they' could get their hands on a massive database...........but in the long run it would be less effort to just to hop on to a back bone & start transferring funds.

Sounds like more of that U.S. 'published' fear the States seem to suffer from. Then again, I just watched 'Bowling fo Columbine' so maybe Micheal Moore affected me today. LOL

by jaqui

the source of the major theft of identity information in the world?
the government of the USA.
under the homeland security act.
by passing that act the usa violated the privacy of every single person on the planet, even those that do NOT reside in the usa, nor are citizens of the usa.

it's that little clause, any company doing business within the us has to make all records available to the government on request, including records from foreign offices, where the data is not within us property.

so, your government is the biggest thief of idendity data.

by bfilmfan

We just want to know where to ship Willaim Shatner back to!

Plus, we don't want Quebec either!

ROTFL

by dafe2

Absolutely correct.....my issue is when being asked for info at a store for nebulous cash purchases or being asked to constantly fill out ballots at trade shows.

It slows down service and serves ME no purpose.

If I'm applying for a loan, returning merchandise (or) dealing with a bank or government they (legally) have a 'right' to know who I am.

When buying a 2500$ dollar TV set (for example) at Sears & in cash............it's none of there business who I am.

Your right our information is everywhere but it need not be 'everywhere'.

This discussion is closed to new replies.