Technology Key To ID Theft

ID theft remains a crucial problem in today’s electronic world and it seems to be getting worse. For many people, the information age has been one of convenience and wonder but a new study from a professor at the University of East Anglia in Norfolk, UK suggests that ID theft is more frequent thanks to that wonder.

So head to your favorite clothing store and you’re buying new clothes for the kids to start the school year. You’ve spent $400 but you’ve gotten some nice things and you’re checking out. You head to the counter, hand them you’re credit card. They swipe the card, hand it back to you, and provide you with the receipt to sign. Everything seems as normal. The problem is you never signed your credit card on the back and they didn’t ask for identification to verify you are who you say you are.

Now, imagine the trip to the grocery store after the your school clothes trip. You spend another $250. You head to the check out and grab your check/debit card. You draw a blank for a moment and forget your number so the clerk, being nice, just swipes the card and you sign for it. They didn’t check for a signature nor did they ask for ID again.

Now, you debit card disappears. You could’ve sworn you left it in another purse or pair of pants but it’s a couple of days before you notice it’s gone. Someone else went to another clothing store and another grocery doing the same things you did and no one asks them for ID either. As technology gets easier, people become less involved with checking and following up on these types of things and that’s just what criminologist Dr. Emily Finch of the University of East Anglia is talking about in her research.

Dr. Finch plans to speak to the BA Festival of Science in Dublin on Wednesday to present her findings. She claims one ID technologies, “chip and pin” isn’t nearly so secure, saying it isn’t really an improvement at all because criminals adapt their tactics to get around them.

She told the BBC, "What fraudsters know about is human nature. They know about people, they know how we operate, and they know how relationships of trust in which information is disclosed develop."

She says this leads to all kinds of problems because then, these thieves get the relevant financial information and use it to apply for credit cards, loans, etc. using the stolen identification.

There are already tons of ID theft problems out there. Banks lose information all the time. They lose it during shipping, they have employees sell the information or sometimes the leave the information where they shouldn’t and it is inadvertently stolen.

The problem with this particular form of ID theft is that many times, this could be prevented the first time the card is used. There are places where it’s a problem like at gas stations when you pay at the pump and ATM machines that don’t always require PINs. Most places though, when people use credit cards, if the clerks would just check the ID, it would be a problem.

Chip and pin is relatively new at this point but if there’s financial incentive to steal the appropriate information (and there is), then thieves will find a way to make it work. It will help alleviate the problem in the short term but it will recur. Dr. Finch suggest much of this could be avoided with more vigilance on the part of all involved.

It is interesting though, a friend mentioned recently he went to a well known bookseller. He recently paid for his purchase with a personal check (rare I know) and the clerk requested an ID. He promptly pointed out that they’ve never asked for an ID when he was using checks and they said they see the ID on the card. But how often do the check it really?

The age of technology and information is awesome but at the same time a little frightening. As more and more people become familiar with this form of technology and as our country is moving toward its own national identification system via the REAL-ID, it’s absolutely imperative that this information be more secure and better protected, even if it means the clerk at your favorite retailer takes an extra 30 seconds to verify who you are.

[Tribble69]

Identity theft is a big problem. If you read the bible you will see this was all predicted in The Mark of the Beast. Without it you will not be able to buy or sell. When the government starts to sell you on this idea it will sound great but it won't be.

The solution to this problem is simple. Hold the credit card companies responsible for handing out money to people. They are conspiring with others to destroy your personal credit history. Not that a credit history matters but they are causing you a lot of problems. Collection agencies calling you and others trying to seize your assets. You may even be taken to court but at the very least you have to take you time and money to get ride of the problems THEY created. After all it wasn't you that issued a card to someone else, it was them!

Counter: It was you that let you information out. This is a lie. Many companies won't give you products and services without disclosing this information. Doctors, cell phones and a lot of others require your Social to get services. Many of their employees can access this information. Just because Jane Doe at the doctor gets my information doesn't mean a multi billion dollar corporation should get off the hook when she uses that information to charge up a lot of bills. I would say Master Card should pay all the bills related to THEM handing out the money.

If we hold them responsible the problem will fix itself. If not, we will get what is coming and it may be more than we bargained for...

[Bunnye]

ID Theft.......big bad subject. I've noticed for years that people rarely look at the signature, at the Bank, in stores, etc. I usually wait for the clerk to check the signature on my charge cards, and when they do it as a routine (rare, but it does happen), I always thank them for checking. It should be a routine, but nowadays, not much "service" is "quality". It's refreshing to find someone who provides good "quality service".

[Bunnye]

ID Theft.......big bad subject. I've noticed for years that people rarely look at the signature, at the Bank, in stores, etc. I usually wait for the clerk to check the signature on my charge cards, and when they do it as a routine (rare, but it does happen), I always thank them for checking. It should be a routine, but nowadays, not much "service" is "quality". It's refreshing to find someone who provides good "quality service".