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Credit > Identity Theft > True Stories |
--February 2005: A company started by one of the three major credit bureaus, has a database filled with the personal information of millions of Americans, which they sell to third parties. Because they did not do a thorough enough background check on one particular company who applied for and obtained access to their database, the credit histories of millions of Americans were compromised, many of whom were subsequently victimized when their credit identities were used to obtain financing by this gang of Nigerian thieves posing as a legitimate company. When they first discovered their mistake, they had no intention of telling any of the millions of consumers who had their personal information stolen until the story was featured prominently in the national media. --An IRS agent used the IRS database to locate the social security number of a stranger with good credit. She used this SSN to obtain three credit cards and a car lease in that person's name. Since the IRS agent paid the bills on time, the victim had no idea fraudulent accounts had been opened in her name until she pulled her credit report one day and discovered them. --Low paid workers with access to databases filled with all sorts of personal information about customers and clients can always supplement their incomes by selling such data to third party thieves or using it themselves to obtain credit cards and loans. For example, a bank clerk stole the personal information of an affluent customer and used it to open credit accounts in her name. A medical billing clerk with access to thousands of patients' medical records sold the information to third parties who used these identities to obtain auto loans and credit cards. -Hackers broke in to Ford Motor Company's database containing the credit records of all of its customers. Ford advised its customers to monitor their credit reports very closely for unauthorized activity. |
True Stories of Identity Theft |
--February 2005: A company started by one of the three major credit bureaus, has a database filled with the personal information of millions of Americans, which they sell to third parties. Because they did not do a thorough enough background check on one particular company who applied for and obtained access to their database, the credit histories of millions of Americans were compromised, many of whom were subsequently victimized when their credit identities were used to obtain financing by this gang of Nigerian thieves posing as a legitimate company. When they first discovered their mistake, they had no intention of telling any of the millions of consumers who had their personal information stolen until the story was featured prominently in the national media. --An IRS agent used the IRS database to locate the social security number of a stranger with good credit. She used this SSN to obtain three credit cards and a car lease in that person's name. Since the IRS agent paid the bills on time, the victim had no idea fraudulent accounts had been opened in her name until she pulled her credit report one day and discovered them. --Low paid workers with access to databases filled with all sorts of personal information about customers and clients can always supplement their incomes by selling such data to third party thieves or using it themselves to obtain credit cards and loans. For example, a bank clerk stole the personal information of an affluent customer and used it to open credit accounts in her name. A medical billing clerk with access to thousands of patients' medical records sold the information to third parties who used these identities to obtain auto loans and credit cards. -Hackers broke in to Ford Motor Company's database containing the credit records of all of its customers. Ford advised its customers to monitor their credit reports very closely for unauthorized activity. |
Credit > Identity Theft > True Stories |
Debt Kit -- Settle unsecured debts for less than half of amount owed Credit Kit -- Improve your credit rating and reduce monthly payments by $200+ |
