Identity Theft - You've Been Sold

On September 15, 2004 Investors Business Daily reported a help desk worker at a company that provides credit reports pled guilty to stealing information from over 30,000 people, netting thieves up to 100 million dollars. On the next day, the Wall Street Journal said that if you use a “computer to access the Internet, your privacy and your security are all in jeopardy. An international criminal class of virus writers, hackers, digital vandals and sleazy business people wakes up every day planning to attack your computer.”

Records at your local Court House are public unless sealed by Court Order. These include what you own, what you owe, your social security number, your birth date, your drivers license number and sometimes very private divorce files. Some of this information is included on UCC forms filed when you borrow money on a car for instance, in deeds and mortgages, on some leases that are filed, etc., etc. Almost all public records are being computerized and are available on line to anyone.

Any school you have ever applied to has your social security number and birth date, as does any company you have ever applied to work for. Every insurance agent and company you have ever applied to has this information as do the agents and companies of any company you have ever worked for. Any company you have ever borrowed money from and your banking institutions all have this information, not to mention the utility companies. There are companies that aggregate information from all these sources and many more and the information is for sale.

The question is, how can all your most private information be for sale. The reason is you have given each company, institution and office permission to sell everything about you. Each of us receives “Privacy Notices” that tell us they are going to sell and share everything about us to whomever they want, whenever they want. You must call and or write and request your info not be sold to “Opt Out”. The vast majority of us simply filed them thinking our privacy was being protected. The notices sometimes say they will not sell “except as provided by law” or except to their “subsidiaries”. My advice, read the notices from now on – there is an “Opt Out” procedure for a reason.

What kind of information is sold other than that above mentioned? Virtually everything about you; what you watched on TV last night, every page of every website you visit each night, the drugs you take, what and when and where you buy your clothes, your food, your preferences, your habits. All collected and sold with your permission because you have not responded to privacy notices for years.

The average American is in 50 separate databases, which have collected information about you. In the space we have here we cannot possibly cover the challenges we all face as a result of the average American being profiled down to their “strange and unusual habits.” The beginning of the solution is in the recognition of the problem.