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An Open Letter From a So-called Stupid
Someone recently told me, "You would have to be a stupid to lose your personal information." While I respectfully responded to this person in the moment, the comment has stuck with me. I present on Identity Theft all over the Western United States, and thought I would respond to this particular individual in writing. There are multitudes of ways to lose your personal information. You have undoubtedly heard of many of them. Fake web sites, data theft, stealing people's trash, stealing people's outgoing mail, check fraud, etc., are just a few of the possibilities for loss of information. Job ads are also being used for Identity Theft. Monster.com ranks fake companies posing as real companies on their web site among their biggest problems. So, to you who think that it could never happen to you, you might want to read this next sentence twice. No matter how good you are, no matter how vigilant, no matter how much you shred or tear, no matter how many times you go to the post office so that you don't put outgoing mail in your home mailbox, regardless of how well you can hide in your home, there is no 100% effective defense against Identity Theft. Let me say that again, in case you don't read it twice. There is NO 100% effective method to defend yourself against identity theft. Here's an example of why. Let's say you want to get health insurance, or auto insurance, or finance a car, etc. etc. etc. Let's say for purposes of this example that you are trying to get health insurance through your company. This is a relatively simple process, right? Fill out the form, and wait to get the insurance cards in the mail. What you may not realize is that the insurance agent has taken the form you filled out and submitted it for group health. It is submitted to three different companies for underwriting. So now, the insurance agent and the insurance company has the information from you, the three companies supplying the insurance coverage have the information on you, AND all of the employees at all four points have access to the information. Think about how many employees that might be. That information is often then passed on to a data warehouse like ChoicePoint, and anyone who has access to ChoicePoint now has access to that information. Who has access to ChoicePoint? I think with the recent news articles, the more appropriate question is, who doesn't have access to ChoicePoint? The information is also submitted to your MIB (Medical Information Bureau) file. Anyone who has access to the MIB files, now has access to all of that information. Who has access to the Medical Information Bureau records? Anyone, at any hospital around the United States, who has even a small amount of clearance, has access to the Medical Information Bureau records. According to John Gardner, co-author or Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneurial Soul, "This makes the Identity Theft Shield, along with a Pre-Paid Legal Services Membership, an absolute must for anyone that's breathing." So to you, sir, who more or less said to me, "You'd have to be stupid to become a victim of Identity Theft!" I wish you my best. If you want to continue thinking that shredding your information is going to protect you, then for you I respectfully choose a phrase used by my friend Larry Smith. "Sometimes, you just can't fix stupid." Jonathan Kraft is Colorado's foremost expert on computer-related Identity Theft. He has been helping employers and employees to protect themselves from the issues surrounding Identity Theft since long before identity theft reached today's epidemic proportions. To learn how Mr. Kraft can protect you or your company against the effects of Identity Theft, please call 877 825-7119, or email mailto:jkraft@strive4impact.com. You can also find out more online at http://www.strive4impact.com/idt
MORE RESOURCES: UCLA police chief, accused of security lapses before mob attack, defends his actions Los Angeles Times The U.S.-Japan Alliance Council on Foreign Relations Dave Chappelle's attacker sues Hollywood Bowl, security 2 years after he stormed stage: report New York Post Dave Chappelle attacker suing Hollywood Bowl security for negligence New York Daily News The Mystery Of EgyptAir's Inflight Security Officers... One Mile at a Time White House releases critical infrastructure memo empowering CISA to strengthen health care security | AHA News American Hospital Association Ripple effect: Local agencies ramp up security after state, national cyberattacks on water supplies Altoona Mirror Former security guard found guilty of killing man over loud music WREG NewsChannel 3 Microsoft will base part of senior exec comp on security, add deputy CISOs to product groups GeekWire NJ religious sites getting $4.8M for security, Gottheimer says NorthJersey.com RELEASE: Gottheimer Announces Record $4.8 Million in Nonprofit Security Grants, Stands Against Antisemitism ... Josh Gottheimer After canceling commencement, USC will host event at L.A. Coliseum, rolls out new campus security Los Angeles Times Dazz Unveils AI-Powered Automated Remediation for Application Security Posture Management Dark Reading FTC Highlights Privacy and Data Security Work ACA International Former security guard Gregory Livingston found guilty of murdering man at Kroger gas station over loud music Action News 5 College campuses tighten security amidst graduation ceremonies Abccolumbia.com Cabana Live shooting: Victim sues venue, security, others WESH 2 Orlando Senate Bill to Establish Public Database to Track Voluntary AI Security Incident Reports Executive Gov Graduations kick off at UConn with extra security measures in place Eyewitness News 3 Security guard gets life in prison for killing unarmed man at East Memphis Kroger gas station WATN - Local 24 Joe Andruzzi Foundation, Amplix, celebrate reaching $1 million milestone in food security grants The Sun Chronicle NIST launches initiatives to enhance AI safety and security American Banker Chaotic lake getting fence and security Wink News Ahead of RSA, Menlo Security announces partnership with Google Cloud for better browser security SiliconANGLE News Sweden “On Terror Level Four” As Security Is Tightened A Week Before Eurovision Song Contest Yahoo New Zealand News Graduations kick off at UConn with extra security measures in place Eyewitness News 3 Private security worker raises concerns over handling of UCLA encampment violence FOX 11 Los Angeles Bodega owners, advocates address spike in armed bodega robberies, call for ramped-up security measures News 12 Bronx NSA Highlights Mitigations against North Korean Actor Email Policy Exploitation National Security Agency 174 Nebraska schools get $10 million to upgrade security Lincoln Journal Star Thune wants cooperation for cyber security plan KELOLAND.com Before mob attack, UCLA police chief was ordered to create security plan but didn't, sources say Yahoo! Voices 174 Nebraska schools get $10 million to upgrade security Omaha World-Herald Verdict found after deadly 2021 Kroger fuel center shooting WATN - Local 24 From Greenpoint to Sunnyside: After sublets and apartment shares, I wanted the security of owning a place Brick Underground Kentucky security guard allegedly reported false bomb threats at places he worked Lexington Herald Leader Belgium’s Aikido lands $17M Series A for its ‘no BS’ security platform aimed at developers TechCrunch Leander ISD makes progress on safety, security bond projects Community Impact Marathon County Public Library mulls security guard amid uptick in unsafe behavior Wausau Pilot and Review Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the UN Security Council Stakeout on the Situation in Sudan United States Mission to the United Nations Lancaster city, county spent at least $7600 for security for cancelled Drag Queen Story Hour LNP | LancasterOnline Making a career of medical device interoperability and security Healthcare IT News |
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