7 year old’s Identity Compromised
Newsday.com recently reported that 600,000 current and former Times Warner employees, their dependents and beneficiaries, may have their identity compromised as a result of the loss of Time Warner’s computer tapes by a data-storage company. Among those records compromised is a former employee’s 7-year-old daughter.
If that’s not bad enough, a student of City University of New York discovered, during a google search, the files of more than 300 students who received student loans through the school. The social security numbers of the students were included in the files.
More and more it seems we are learning that it’s not a question of if our data will be compromised, it’s just a matter of when. The problem is too great to be easily solved. There is too much vulnerability and that vulnerability was identified too late.
While consumer groups, creditors, banking and data processing companies battle back and forth with our congressional representatives trying to draft legislation that will improve security, our identities are out there. “Virtual” thieves are savvy. They know how to find the weak spots in security systems and it’s even easier when they learn, in some cases, there’s no security at all.
Congress must act in the best interest of American citizens, not the businesses that are leaving us exposed. Every citizen has a stake in what takes place in both state and federal legislation. If you’re concerned about protecting yourself and/or your family, you should seek out the details of proposed legislation or communicate with your representatives about this serious issue.
There are numerous consumer groups that are working to ensure that legislation improves the situation, not worsen it. One group, the Consumers Union, offers on their site the ability to contact your representatives easily. Please click on the link and complete the form that will send a letter directly to your congressional representatives. If you have been the victim of identity theft and want to share your experience you can complete their online survey. The more noise Americans make regarding this threat, the more likely Congress will hear the demand and take the necessary action to protect us.