identity theft
I just read an article about global theft, 11 were charged in the sale of 40 million credit card numbers. Can you imagine how devastating it would be to have your card number stolen and used? Federal prosecutors charged 11 people yesterday with the theft and sale of more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers from at least nine U.S. retailers in what they said was one of the largest and most complex hacking and identity theft cases ever brought. Officials with the Department of Justice said the people indicted were part of a criminal ring that stretched from the United States to Eastern Europe to East Asia, highlighting the global nature of computer crime. Charges of conspiracy, computer intrusion, fraud and identity theft have been brought against people from Estonia, Ukraine, China and Belarus, as well as the United States.
The founder of lifelock had this to say in response. “I applaud the efforts of the government in bringing to justice these 11 individuals who are damaging millions of American families. Unfortunately, this case, while representing the largest prosecution in American history, is only the tip of the iceberg in an ever-growing illegal enterprise that is staying one step ahead of the government and the banking and credit industries to steal consumers’ identities,” said Davis. “The time has come for those that profit in the credit industry – both the banks and the major credit bureaus – to begin working with consumer advocates to proactively protect American consumers from those who would prey on their identity and financial well-being.”
I guess in such technological times of putting our information out there to be seen, we have to become more proactive in protecting that information rather than reacting to being violated. My identity was stolen once and it was so hard to get it all recovered and get things back to normal.
Tags: ppp