Law and Rights
The people dedicated to protecting you, yeah that's right, the FBI, may be easier to steal from than WalMart. Well, maybe not the FBI, but certainly many government agencies are. Take the Veterans Administration, for instance...
The FBI has offered a $25,000 reward for the return of a computer backup hard drive that was found missing from a VA office in Birmingham Alabama in January. Turns out the hard drive wasn't even encrypted and it contains information on 1.8 million patients and physicians nationwide, including social security numbers, names, billing codes, etc. With a red face, the VA admits that the hard drive wsa supposed to have been encrypted but it wasn't. The bozo who was reportedly responsible was put on "leave" and within a few weeks of the January 22nd disappearance the VA gave up looking for the hard drive. No one is talking about why it took them so long to notify the public of this royal foul up.
The whole mess reminds me of the VA computer with 26 million records in it that disappeared in 2006 and turned up months later after a $50,000 reward was posted.
Meanwhile identity theft continues its rise to the top of the heap of criminal activity in the US. The FTC reported that more than 670,000 cases of fraud and identity theft were reported by consumers in 2006. The total damage is estimated at $1.2 Billion. And it's no wonder, after you look at how lousy a job our own government is at protecting the private data it keeps on all of us.
For tips of preventing identity theft, and help if it's happened to you, check out our web site page, Identity Theft is Fraud.
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- Identity Theft Resource From Nhs
We blogged about identity theft before, explaining what it is, some ideas on how to prevent it, and some things you can do to fix it. The NHS Consumer Law Center posted a very recent and very nicely detailed blog the other day about credit reports...
- National Consumer Protection Week, Day Three
Identity thieves are out to steal from you. And they are very good at it. More about that in a minute. This is day three of National Consumer Protection Week and we are continuing our week-long series on common consumer frauds and scams, with tips on...
- Is It Identity Theft Or Is It Bank Robbery --- And Whose Fault Is It?
We've talked before about identity theft and its dangers and lots of people have. There's even a terrific British Youtube about it and the puzzling question of whether it is really identity theft at all (or is it just electronic bank robbery?)....
- Is It Identity Theft Or A Bank Robbery?
Okay, so you get a call from the bank saying your identity was stolen and they took the money out of your account. Is it identity theft, or is it really just a bank robbery? Of course, the bank says it's identity theft and it was your money that got...
- Top 10 Common Passwords; Should You Change Your's?
Warning! These are the top ten most frequently used passwords on personal computers. If you recognize yours, you may as well hand over your wallet or purse to the first person you see on the street. password123456qwertyabc123letmeinmonkeymyspace1password1link182(your...
Law and Rights
Identity Thieves Run Rampant
The people dedicated to protecting you, yeah that's right, the FBI, may be easier to steal from than WalMart. Well, maybe not the FBI, but certainly many government agencies are. Take the Veterans Administration, for instance...
The FBI has offered a $25,000 reward for the return of a computer backup hard drive that was found missing from a VA office in Birmingham Alabama in January. Turns out the hard drive wasn't even encrypted and it contains information on 1.8 million patients and physicians nationwide, including social security numbers, names, billing codes, etc. With a red face, the VA admits that the hard drive wsa supposed to have been encrypted but it wasn't. The bozo who was reportedly responsible was put on "leave" and within a few weeks of the January 22nd disappearance the VA gave up looking for the hard drive. No one is talking about why it took them so long to notify the public of this royal foul up.
The whole mess reminds me of the VA computer with 26 million records in it that disappeared in 2006 and turned up months later after a $50,000 reward was posted.
Meanwhile identity theft continues its rise to the top of the heap of criminal activity in the US. The FTC reported that more than 670,000 cases of fraud and identity theft were reported by consumers in 2006. The total damage is estimated at $1.2 Billion. And it's no wonder, after you look at how lousy a job our own government is at protecting the private data it keeps on all of us.
For tips of preventing identity theft, and help if it's happened to you, check out our web site page, Identity Theft is Fraud.
Burdge Law Office
www.OhioConsumerLaw.com
Helping Consumers Protect Themselves Since 1978
www.OhioConsumerLaw.com
Helping Consumers Protect Themselves Since 1978
Subscribe in a reader- Identity Theft Resource From Nhs
We blogged about identity theft before, explaining what it is, some ideas on how to prevent it, and some things you can do to fix it. The NHS Consumer Law Center posted a very recent and very nicely detailed blog the other day about credit reports...
- National Consumer Protection Week, Day Three
Identity thieves are out to steal from you. And they are very good at it. More about that in a minute. This is day three of National Consumer Protection Week and we are continuing our week-long series on common consumer frauds and scams, with tips on...
- Is It Identity Theft Or Is It Bank Robbery --- And Whose Fault Is It?
We've talked before about identity theft and its dangers and lots of people have. There's even a terrific British Youtube about it and the puzzling question of whether it is really identity theft at all (or is it just electronic bank robbery?)....
- Is It Identity Theft Or A Bank Robbery?
Okay, so you get a call from the bank saying your identity was stolen and they took the money out of your account. Is it identity theft, or is it really just a bank robbery? Of course, the bank says it's identity theft and it was your money that got...
- Top 10 Common Passwords; Should You Change Your's?
Warning! These are the top ten most frequently used passwords on personal computers. If you recognize yours, you may as well hand over your wallet or purse to the first person you see on the street. password123456qwertyabc123letmeinmonkeymyspace1password1link182(your...