By now, we all know that Identity Theft is the crime of the decade, claiming about 9 million victims and causing close to $50 Billion in damages every year. What is the reason for the surge in Identity Theft? In a recent informal poll/survey published at http://www.creditlock.com, visitors were asked: “What do you Believe is Primarily Responsible for the Spread of Identity Theft?” The survey was not interested in its visitors’ opinion of who is responsible, but it was rather interested in its visitors’ opinion of what is responsible. Such distinction is an important one; the poll/survey results can be used to suggest solutions, as opposed to laying blame. More…
In an article that appeared on Yahoo, “Find Out if Your Printer is Spying on You” (related link available at end of this article), Christopher Null raised an issue emphasizing how difficult it is to balance Security and Privacy. Such delicate balancing act could also lead to the undesired effect of actually increasing the risk of Identity Theft.
According to the article, it was discovered in late 2005 that many makers of color printers embed a unique signature, comprised of a yellow dots pattern, unperceivable to the naked eye. Such signature makes it possible, when examined under blue light and a microscope, to trace printed color documents to the producing printer (and its owner).
Critics of such technology are concerned about its implication on Privacy Protection. In addition, they are concerned that such capability can be abused for purposes that may lead to a violation of human rights and More…
The Associated Press recently reported that according to a government report obtained Tuesday July 10, the FBI’s search for terrorists includes searching records about Identity Theft. Such information, along with other information, is being mined, creating “a new database to assess the risk posed by people identified as potential or suspected terrorists.”
It should not be surprising that an integral part of the fight against terrorism should be the scrutiny and investigation of cases of Identity Theft. The second largest terrorist attack in U.S. history, the bombing of Alfred P. Murray Federal building in downtown Oklahoma City in 1995, which resulted in 168 deaths, was committed by Timothy McVeigh. Although at his time of arrest, Timothy McVeigh presented his real name, he had previously used an alias in preparation for committing his crime. He had rented the Van used in the explosion under the name of Robert Kling.
Similarly, it was reported by the BBC and other media that the identities of some of the September 11 World Trade Center bombing More…
The Government Accountability Office, GAO, released on Thursday July 5 a comprehensive 50 page report titled: “Data Breaches are Frequent, but Evidence of Resulting Identity Theft Is Limited; However The Full Extent is Unknown.” Unfortunately, most headlines covering the content of the report gave the wrong impression that Data Breaches do not result in increased risk of Identity Theft. Many such headlines totally ignored the last part of the report title: “…However The Full Extent is Unknown.” Many seem to have forgotten to ask themselves: if a criminal is not interested in using the data acquired through a data breach, then why commit such illegal activity in the first place?
The fact that the GAO itself admitted in the title that “The Full Extent is Unknown,” means that the report is inconclusive. If the report is inconclusive, then More…
Identity Theft has taken center stage this week following the release by The President’s Identity Theft Task Force of its latest plan: Combating Identity Theft, A Strategic Plan. The aim of the plan, outlined in a 120 page document, is undoubtedly a noble one: to eliminate or drastically reduce Identity Theft and its related negative consequences. In doing so, the task force analyzed most aspects of Identity Theft and its related crimes and tools including Phishing, Dumpster Diving, Carding, Skimming, etc…
The plan has several strengths and represents a great effort to confront one of the most daunting crimes of the new Millenium. However, there are also some weaknesses, as well as potential red flags, as illustrated below…More…
A recent poll released yesterday by Zogby International revealed that 91% of respondents are concerned about Identity Theft. Yet, the same survey also revealed that 69% of respondents said that they never, rarely, or only sometimes read Company Privacy Policies. Only 7% said they always read such policies, while 24% said they read most of the time. Privacy Policies usually state how a company will use personal information gathered from the customer.
Such results may seem odd and unexpected. You are concerned that your personal information may be compromised. You are concerned this would subject you to the possibility of Identity Theft. You are voluntarily providing merchants with your personal information. Why wouldn’t you want to know how your information will be used?
Philosophically, the answer may be simple. If a merchant is going to misuse personal information, does it really matter what they say in their Privacy Policies? Such skepticism is reflected in the Zogby Poll. Almost half of respondents said they believe companies will share or sell their information despite promising not to do so, while 35% believe that companies will not follow up with promises to protect such information.
We actually believe that reputable institutions and businesses have too much to loose from deliberately misleading the public in the statement of their Privacy Policies. Although skepticism, whether at a subliminal or conscious level, may play part in consumer behavior, human nature for “passiveness” also plays another part. Consider the following additional statistics.
According to a Federal Trade Commission report on Identity Theft, 62% of Identity Theft Victims in 2006 did not notify a Police Department while 57% of Victims did not contact a Credit Reporting Agency. Once again, this may seem unusual. If someone stole your identity, why wouldn’t you contact the Credit Reporting Agencies in order to protect your credit and limit the possibility of financial damage? Is it possible that so many people do not realize that contacting the Police and Credit Reporting Agencies are probably the first things to do when a person becomes a victim of Identity Theft?
Whether it is “Human Passiveness”, “Skepticism”, or another reason, unless consumers take active preventive measures, consumers certainly have reason to continue to be concerned about Identity Theft. There are many resources offering Identity Theft information and services where consumers can learn about preventive measures, such as www.CreditLock.com and www.ftc.gov.
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