[TriLUG] Identity Theft (was Re: Security)

Mon May 20 11:36:58 EDT 2002

<VENTING>
	This is one of my favorite topics. In '96 someone in Atlanta got my SSN
and name and obtained a number of credit cards. I have no idea how they
got the information. At the time I was working for Gateway2000 in South
Dakota.
	In '98 my wife and I moved to the Triangle. About a month after we got
here, we tried to buy a car. Note the word 'tried'. We were shot down
because my credit was in the toilet. The ***hole had spent $30k in my
name.
	I had to get copies of credit reports from all the reporting agencies
and find out who had issued the cards. I also had to file a police
report with the local cops in Atlanta. You know they're real keen to
work a credit card fraud case for someone who not even in their state.
	Then I had to call the creditors and try to resolve the debt. Of course
to them, I'm a dead beat trying to get out of paying my bills. It was so
much fun talking to them.
	It took a few months and a lot of time, but I cleaned up my credit. Or
so I thought. I tried to get a cell phone two weeks ago. They turned me
down because of my credit. A new card from the same SOB is now on my
credit report. It was issued in '96, but for some unknown reason is just
now showing up. Since I owe $12k on a credit card that has been unpaid
for 5 years, I can't get a cell phone.
	Now, none of this has actually cost me money, directly. Other than
stamps, I have not spent anything cleaning it up. It terms of time and
aggravation, it is unmeasurable. Six years and still it continues.
	I have also learned a few things about the credit industry and about
SSNs. You only are legally required to give your SSN to 3 people; your
employer, your bank or anyone that will have to cut you a 1099, and the
government when you do your taxes. Anyone else, tell them no. Most
institutions will generate an id number if you refuse to give them your
SSN.
	Do not put your SSN on your checks. This is about the dumbest thing
I've seen. Checks are handled by so many people and with a SSN, name and
address right there, it's a license to steal. Also, my wife is a
recruiter and she gets tons of resumes with the SSN on them. Again,
stupid. And lastly, don't carry your SSN card with you. If you lose your
wallet, who ever ends up with it will have your name, SSN and most
likely your address.
</VENTING>
	I am sorry if I've gotten long winded, but this subject gets my blood
boiling. I could easily write for another hour on how f*cked up the
credit reporting industry is. If this saves anyone from the hell I've
gone through, then I'll be happy.

Ken

On Sun, 2002-05-19 at 12:49, John Franklin wrote:
> On Fri, May 17, 2002 at 12:28:08PM -0400, Andrew C. Oliver wrote:
> > M. Mueller wrote:
> > 
> > >On Friday 17 May 2002 11:31 am, <Andrew C. Oliver> wrote:
> > >>Lets talk likelyhood per amount of effort.  Its fairly unlikely I'd be a
> > >>target due to the pure lack of gain.  
> > >>
> > >
> > >Identity theft is the concern.  Unsecure wireless networks could provide 
> > >enough information about a person to impersonate them.  By impersonating 
> > >someone you can get a line of credit and leave the real indentity owner 
> > >with the responsibility of paying off the bills.  
> > >
> > And the amount of effort you'd need to go through to get this out of my 
> > wireless network versus just walk by and pick up my garbage kind of make 
> > me less concerned about that.
> 
> It happened to my sister.  She ordered checks through the bank and they
> never showed up.  Turns out someone stole them (at the printer's, IIRC) 
> and starting using them.  She notified the bank and closed the account
> immediately, but that didn't stop a number of items from showing up on
> her credit report.  It took months for the police to finally arrest the
> woman.
> 
> Identity theft is a serious concern, but there are so many ways to have
> your identity stolen that the only real way to protect yourself is to
> become a blank, buy everything with cash, and never use your SSN.  Since
> we need to use our SSN to get a job and file tax returns, we can't
> really isolate ourselves.
> 
> Privacy is a huge issue.  Politically, it'll take a major failure
> somewhere before it takes a front stage position.  When it does,
> technology solutions that protect privacy will become all the rage.  The
> crux of the technology problem is that anything that can be made can be
> forged.  Your signature can be forged.  A card with a magnetic strip or
> a chip can be duplicated.  Biometrics?  Fooled with gummi bears.  (was
> that article posted here, or did I see in on Another List?)
> 
> Sadly, it's a situation that doesn't really need new technology, it
> needs the systems in place to work as intended.  None of the checks
> written by the woman who stole my sister's checks should have been
> accepted.  The signature was nowhere near a match.
> 
> 
> jf
> -- 
> John Franklin
> franklin at elfie.org
> ICBM: 35°43'56"N 78°53'27"W
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-- 
Ken Mink
Porivo Technologies, Inc.
919.806.0566 | mailto:ken.mink at porivo.com
http://www.porivo.com
Measuring end-to-end Web performance.
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