Identity Theft

Finally, people are beginning to become aware of this an do something about it. Too bad it has taken the illegal access, theft and plain negligent handling of millions of identities before most people became aware.

I hate to say "I told you so" But I actually did tell you so. I have actively resisted giving my SSN to anyone. I have also been careful and checked how my information is accessed. But it isnt enough. And it will get worse before it gets better.

A short history as I know it:

Mail theft. First method and group that I became aware of was people, often junkies/crackheads stealing mail. At first it was just checks. They would wash or alter them to a different amount and payee. Ten as credit card companies became agressive in thier recruitment, the mail thieves would get cards issued to the victim, but at a different address.

ID theft. Then as things became more organized and sophisticated, the bad folks realized that an entire Identity and credit rating was worth far more. It was mostly still coming from mail theft and dumpster diving. But now it was the "fixers" who were buying information from the mail crews.

ID hack/buy/theft. As the profit became greater, the more organized it became. Now you see crews of very organized and highly skilled people hacking into databases, trapping information from net-suckers and even outright buying whole databases from employees.

What's next? Here's what I think - The organized crews will become bigger and more subtle. They will realize that slaughtering the goose only feeds them once. They will develop a method of leeching accounts and whole identities for a small amount a month. Just a couple bucks or maye a small charge that is not very noticable. Like say a phone call charge or some one-tme web site fee. If you were a regular subscriber to the NYTimes.com or even had a history of occasionally buying access to an article...would you notice an occasional charge from NYTimes.net or something similar? Possibly not. And they will know how to tailor the attack to your spending habits. A few cents or even a couple dollars a month mutiplied milions of times is a big motivation.

Now I dont have a perfect plan laid out. There are still lots of techincal hurdles that these people would have to overcome. But in the end...isnt this the same model that legal companies use? investing time and money and then collecting the money.

The next question becomes..who is responsible? It will be very interesting how things play out as consumers take the brunt of the attack and seek redress. What corporations who hold the data and the government do will make it clear who's side they are on.