From The Washington Post, this bit of potentially scary information:
Net Aids Access to Sensitive ID Data
Social Security Numbers Are Widely Available
By Jonathan Krim
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 4, 2005; Page A01
Want someone else's Social Security number?
It's $35 at www.secret-info.com. It's $45 at www.Iinfosearch.com, where users can also sign up for a report containing an individual's credit-card charges, as well as an e-mail with other "tips, secrets & spy info!" The Web site Gum-shoes.com promises that "if the information is out there, our licensed investigators can find it."
Although Social Security numbers are one of the most powerful pieces of personal information an identity thief can possess, they remain widely available and inexpensive despite public outcry and the threat of a congressional crackdown after breaches at large information brokers.
... more at linked article
This should scare the crap outta most people. The idea that anyone, anywhere can plunk down just a few dollars, supply a target name and get back information like a Social Security number is frightening, especially given the growing numbers of identity theft cases.
Ask yourself for a moment if you or someone you know has ever been a victim of credit card fraud or some other sort of identity theft? According to many recent surveys the numbers of people that can answer that question with a negative is much lower than many might expect.
I really wish that a few Senators and/or Representatives would find themselves victimized in these ways so that they'd actually do something about these problems. While I don't want to stifle legitimate businesses or the legitimate uses of these types of businesses, I don't need every Tom, Dick, Harry, Nancy or Jane out there snooping up private information with no good reason.
