Helping to Protect Your "You"

Learn Why You Should Be Concerned About Identity Theft and Data Protection?

For virtually every method or type of identification, there are means by which that information may be used by criminals and scam artists for illicit gain. Not to mention the increasing frequency of high-profile data breaches and media coverage of nightmare cases.

Actual complaints filed with FTC regarding Financial Identity Theft
Case #1- "Someone is using my name and Social Security number to open credit card accounts. All the accounts are in collections. I had no idea it was happening until I applied for a mortgage. Because these bad accounts showed up on my credit report, I didn't get the mortgage. . . "

Case #2 - "My elderly parents are victims of credit fraud. We don't know what to do. Someone applied for credit cards in their name and charged nearly $20,000. Two of the card companies have cleared my parent's name but the third has turned the account over to a collection agency. The agency doesn't believe Mom and Dad didn't authorize the account . . . "

Case #3 - "Someone used my Social Security number to get credit in my name. . . I have been turned down for jobs, credit, and refinancing offers. This is stressful and embarrassing. I want to open my own business, but it may be impossible with this unresolved problem hanging over my head . . . "

A routine traffic citation is issued in your name, however you have no idea of the event. A possible increase in your insurance premium is only the beginning of the nightmare to follow. As a result a bench warrant is issued for your arrest for "Failure to Appear," possible DUI/DWI charges, driving on suspended drivers license or any number of other driving related offenses. At some point in the future you are subject to arrest and possibly spending the night or weekend in jail, spending money to hire an attorney, taking time off work for court appearances, possible public embarrasment and potentially having a criminal record depending on what other crimes the imposter might have committed.

Social Security Identity Theft
Case #1 - In 2006, federal raids were conducted at six Swift & Company meat-packing plants located throughout the United States. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested more than 1,200 Swift company employees after ICE uncovered the operations of several identity theft rings that had supplied fraudulent or stolen identities and Social Security numbers of hundreds of US citizens.

Case #2 - A woman in Chicago was surprised to be turned down for employment at a local Target store. The reason? She already worked there! Or at least the records showed that her Social Security number worked there. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that 37 different illegal immigrants had used her Social Security number to obtain employment at various companies, including the Target store where she had applied.

Medical Identity Theft
Perhaps one of the scariest and potentially lethal forms of identity theft, is where a theft steals your medical insurance information and obtains medical care in your name. With 30% of medical data anticipated to be stored on computers by 2010, medical identity theft is particularly alarming.

Case #1 - A woman discovered that someone using her identity to obtain medical services had caused her blood type to be changed in her medical records. Had this discovery not been made by the victim, the results of this incorrect information could have been life-threatening.

Case #2 - A man discovered a medical identity thief had used his identity at five separate hospitals to receive more than $100,000 worth of medical treatments. Beyond the financial burden and challenges posed in attempting to absolve himself of the fraudulent charges, the victim also struggled with the daunting task of correcting multiple medical histories.

Case #3 - A woman's identification was stolen and the thief later used the victim's identification at a hospital to receive medical services when giving birth. After the thief delivered the baby, test results showed that the newborn tested positive for methamphetamine. The thief was already gone when the results were returned. Because the thief had used the victim's name and information, social workers attempted to remove the victim's four children from her home. The victim's case was only resolved after she hired a lawyer and enlisted the aid of local media. However, in a demonstration of the ongoing problems faced by victims of medical identity theft, when the victim was later herself admitted to a hospital for a kidney infection, the hospital records, indicated the wrong blood type-that of the thief's.

Case #4 - A retired schoolteacher received a surprising medical bill - - for the amputation of her right foot. The bill was surprising because the victim's right foot was perfectly intact. Despite this, the victim found proving her foot had never been amputated, and being absolved of the fraudulent medical bill to be incredibly difficult. However, this turned out not to be the end of the victim's potential troubles. When the victim later suffered a heart attack and awoke in the hospital, the nurse asked her which medication she was taking for her diabetes. The victim did not have diabetes, but the woman who had stolen her identity did. This inaccuracy could have led to serious consequences because diabetic patients undergo a different heart surgery procedure than patients without diabetes.

Criminal/Character Identity Theft
A man's wallet was stolen. The wallet contained only four items:
1. His driver's license
2. His Social Security card
3. His Air Force ID, and
4. Four dollars in cash

7 months later
He was fired from his job after his manager discovered that he had been arrested for shoplifting. (Fact was, he had NOT been arrested)

Soon After . . .
His employer then entered the incorrect arrest information into their database, which was also used by many other employers in his industry. The erroneous arrest "record" prevented him from obtaining other employment. The victim had no income, could not pay his bills and was forced to file bankruptcy.

Four Years Later
The victim went to the local office of the District Attorney to have his criminal record checked. To his alarm and dismay, he discovered an arrest record for shoplifting, disturbing the peace, burgulary, arson, and armed robbery. There was also an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

Each time the identity thief had been arrested, he had used the victim's name and information. The thief was never caught, and the victim was ultimately forced to legally change his name.

Data Breaches and Information Compromise Contribute to Identity Theft

Thieves have learned that consumer information is extremely valuable. No longer do they need to physically rob a bank, risking life and limb for a few thousand dollars. Now they can anonymously steal tens of thousands of records much more quickly and easily with far less chance of getting caught.

Large scale Identity Theft occurs through the theft of information from companies, whereby persons have or obtain access to the confidential information of employees and customers and then sell that information or use it for their own personal gain.

Because of the sheer number of records that may be involved in a single theft, this is a preferred method for identity theft rings and organized crime. It accounts for a significant number of cases each year and billions of dollars in fraud losses.

In one case a student employee at the University of Texas reportedly stole 55,000 Social Security numbers from school records in order to sell them.

In another case, a group of Nigerian thieves reported bribed clerks in the New York offices of the Social Security Administration.  For a small amount of money, the clerks provided the birth date and mother's maiden names of Social Security card holders, which allowed the Nigerian thieves to activate new credit cards they had stolen. In a short period of time, approximately 20,000 cards had over $10 million fraudulently charged to them.

Just a few examples of some of the many serious reported incidents:

June 2004 - It is disclosed that an AOL employee stole information of about 92 million AOL users and then sold this information to spammers for $100,000

February 2005 Bank of America disclosed the loss of a small number of computer back-up tapes during shipment containing the personal and account information for 1.2 million federal employees and GSA cardholders, including members of the U.S. Senate.

March 2005 DSW Shoe Warehouse discloses that 1.4 million customer account records from over 100 stores were stolen from its company database.

April 2005 Four banks, including Bank of America and Wachovia, disclose that certain bank managers and employees sold the personal and account information of 676,000 bank customers for $10 each.

January 2008- Florida Deparment of Children and Families reports thousands of Central Florida day care workers could be at risk.

July 2009 Giant domain registar Network Solutions revealed an outside hack breached 573,928 credit card accounts. Affected consumers have yet to be notified.

August 2009 - Largest Identity Theft case in US History involved 130 million credit and debit card numbers from Heartland Credit Processing Systems, was obtained by 3 individuals including one Albert Gonzales, who has been convicted in three other Identity Theft cases and was actually a consultant for the government. It is believed the band obtained access via SQL attacks.