|
Identity Fraud Alert: Personal Home Pages Can Invite Theft
|
| Identity Fraud Alert: Personal Home Pages Can Invite Theft |
|
| Updated |
Mar 17, 2005 19:41:50 |
| Rating |
 16 ( -2 -12.5% ) |
|
|
Description:
Personal background, family genealogy, education history, work experience--these common contents of personal home pages seem innocuous enough in the context of family history and communication. But a Web site containing this kind of information could be a gold mine for an identity thief.
Most home page owners would never post their Social Security number on their sites. But many people post personal information, such as a family tree, that contains details almost as valuable to an identity thief as a Social Security number.
Information common to family trees, such as full names, birthdays, and cities of birth are all that a thief needs to obtain a copy of your birth certificate and, with that, a driver's license bearing your name and the thief's photograph. With those documents, s/he can open bank and credit accounts, rent an apartment, even get a job or a criminal record--all in your name.
A family tree also reveals your mother's maiden name, which is frequently used as the security password for bank and credit accounts.
Safeguarding your private information is the best measure you can take to prevent identity theft and credit fraud. Be selective about what you or your family members post on personal home pages--remember that if it's on the Web, it's available to the world.
Never post your Social Security number.
Avoid posting sensitive information about you or your family that could lead to impersonation.
Make sure your relatives know about and agree to any information you do put on the Web.
If you do post a family tree, make sure you and your family all use passwords other than your mother's maiden name for bank and credit accounts.
Click here for a free credit report.
Powered By CreditMatters.com |
| Similar news: | - New Law Gets Tough on Identity Theft - President Bush signed legislation onThursday that toughens penalties against identity theft, aproblem that federal officials estimate cost U.S. consumers andbusinesses over $50 billion last year.
- Personal Data Theft: It's Outrageous - Americans seem to be concerned, but not outraged, by news in recent weeks that two big data collectors sold detailed personal information on nearly 500,000 people to buyers who had absolutely no business getting it. Maybe this is because we've become inur
- Protecting your good name from identity theft - They were set free when hackers implanted a virus in thecomputers operated by CardSystems, a Tucson-based credit cardprocessing firm, and they were actually let loose way beforeconsumers were let in on the breach recently.
| | Find all news similar on Identity Fraud Alert: Personal Home Pages Can Invite Theft |
|
