mozoo

This has been all over the news ... roughly 26 million veterans are at risk. Hubby has been extremely diligent in keeping personal info private and some bugger has gone and cocked it all up. I sometimes wonder why we bother to keep an eye on our finances/personal information when something like this happens. The onus falls on us now which seems to put more pressure on us to keep our information out of dubious hands. Americans rely too much on their SSN for all sorts of services. Can't they find a better way of managing that kind of information?

ladygwennie

I saw that story on the news, its pretty awful that all that information could be stolen the way it has been. Apparently though the "thief" may not know what he has, although if he has watched the news by now he sure will

franc11s

This is being blown out of ALL proportion. This information can be stolen easily already, and already is, all the time. It's just not reported. heck, it can be stolen most of the time by simplying going through your trash or mail-box.

You should already have in place, ways to protect yourself from identity theft. I pay a monthly fee to www.identityguard.com to protect me and my wife. Every month I get a statement and in addition, get an email every time there's a change to my records on ANY of the 3 credit reporting agencies.

Since most of the places you would get a credit card or other credit require much more than what was stolen, the chances a thief will get a Mortgage or Credit card in your name is so difficult most theives don't try it. For instance if your credit score is based upon one address, they won't ship you a card to a new address. To get a store credit card, you have to have a matched address and identity *AND* a good credit score too...

Next, it's the credit card companies and banks that are liable, not you. It's a major pain in the arse having your credit nicked, I concur but the way the media is reporting this, 23 million people are going to have their identity stolen, mortgages taken out in your name and more..

The reality is, when LARGE heists of data is stolen, most of it is no good without other "bits" or relevant credit data. The banks should do more to protect you but don't care because it costs less in losses than it does to fix the REAL problem with their systems!!!

I think the government should simply do a deal with the credit agentcies and fund a years subscription with identitytheft.com for these people.

franc11s

Most credit card data is stolen by someone having a duplicate card reader that is swiped when you hand over the card to pay for something. Strores, garages, internet stores, internet sites, employees of large companies and restaurant employees are not all trustworthy - and is where most data IS stolen from today

If you use over the phone banking, and have a 2.4ghz phone, anyone nearby could "hack" everything you type into your home phone in seconds (social, credit card number and more!!)

If you don't shred EVERYTHING you are at risk - most data IS stolen from the trash / mail.

You need to do more to protect yourself in this techno age. It's not cheap but all the credit agencies offer you an instant solution. It's the easiest and most reliable. It also locks the stable door BEFORE the horse has bolted.

anotherlimey

I don't agree; having a CD with 26 million names and SSNs is a much bigger deal than just going through trash for a single name and SSN.

ladygwennie

Uhhh i think the issue is a little different. I think it is the fact that people do not have a choice how the VA looks after their information. The VA does have a lot of information, that if/when stolen, could cause a lot of problems for their veterans. I don't disagree that we should look after our information, but when its a case like the VA, the veterans didnt have a choice as to how the va stores and secures it.

mozoo

We already do everything to protect ourselves against having our identities stolen. I'm sure a lot of other people do too. However, I wonder how many of the 23+ million vets feel about having their identities compromised through no fault of their own?

franc11s

But ALL data everywhere is vulnerable. Not just VETS. You would NOT believe how much data is out there already on YOU and ME, easily hacked into and is, all the time. I'm saying this is NOT unique to the VA, not even close. It is NOT your choice who has your data unless you hide your cash under the mattress in which case, your credit score is zero and stealing your identity would do the theif little good at all. besides :

My banks have my data.
My Mortgage company has my data.
My Credit card Company has my data
My healthcare company and all of the doctors down the chain have the data.
My Healthcare agent has my data
My company has my data
My data is held on systems outsourced to 3rd party companies
My home phone company has my data
My Cable company has my data
My Cell Phone company has my data
When I brought my car, the garage has my data from the LEASE data
When I signed up for a store credit card, the man behind the counter has my data

This data is passed through emails, most often unencrypted over the wire. It's stored in simple spreadsheets (banks) - I've seen them... I've seen them sent that way to credit agencies - believe me, it IS.

All of the credit agencies are FREELY given ALL of your DATA, whether you like it or not (you have NO choice). It is transferred all of the time between them and ALL of the above companies using some real obscure methods, including tapes in mail or through Fedex!! They swap you data 100's of times a year.. No choice.

Many people work and have access to your data. The problem is, and I work in IT, people don't understand the 10's of 1000's of people that actually have access to all your data over a period of a year.

The data that has been stolen is not likely to make you any more or less likely to be a victim. That's my point. It doesn't tell for instance, any thief whether you have a credit score and the credit companies will only SEND that information to your last ADDRESS. It's not as bad as the media is making you think.....

Until recently, you could setup to collect credit data easily and tons more info than was on the CD...

http://www.okec.org/News/choicepoint.html

Read this and BE REALLY worried :

http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/ChronDataBreaches.htm

because the data stolen is a lot more than just SSN, name address!!!

franc11s

Not quite true. Without an address, it does little good, without photo ID, it does little good. Have you tried getting credit lately without multiple forms of ID including "please tell me your last mortgage payment or utility bill"... and even then, the credit companies must have LAST address that MUST match at least one, and often two of the credit scoring companies. Don't believe the media hype.

anotherlimey

It's easy to get a utility in a name with any address as long as you the SSN, then you just need to wait until it posts to the credit report.

But that's irrelevant, what's worrying is someone in the VA took home an unencrypted (?) CD with that information on it, and it was stolen.

snowbunny

I got a lovely notice in the mail that a laptop computer was stolen at a meeting held at my former employer's. (big company) Unfortunately, the laptop contained a database with *EVERYONE*'s 401(k) information, including name, address, dates of work with the company, balance of 401(k), SSN, and more. The company would have had possibly hundreds of thousands of employees and former employees in that database, including me.

It was not encrypted, though we are supposed to be reassured by the fact that the licence on whatever the database is that is holding the info, has expired. Uh-huh.

franc11s

This problem is sooo big for all of us. This is why I pay the $20 a month to identity guard - I really shouldn't have to but after coming across ALL of OUR data in SOO many places and that link I just POSTED proves it... You have to protect your arze and not rely on all the idiots who hold our data.

snowbunny

That's true, but I also think we need to protest the misuse of our SSNs, which are meant SOLELY for employment and retirement purposes, as de facto national ID numbers tossed about any time someone needs to demonstrate credit-worthiness.

Jerseygirl

There are websites that you just put in a name and it comes up with address, SSN etc. :scared:

anotherlimey

I think they are considering a bill limiting the use of SSNs; I can't remember where I heard it.