ME&MEE

We never like to see people work too hard over Labor Day weekend, but when it comes to protecting consumers from ID theft, we welcome the diligence. Two U.S. senators are calling on the IRS to toughen existing procedures when it comes to ID theft and tax fraud, as well as take further steps to help victims. Also, new law in the state of Indiana that allows residents to issue a freeze on their credit report goes into effect this weekend. In other news, check out this opinion piece in the Buffalo News about how the federal government needs to take immediate action to make ID theft a priority.

As mortgage woes continue to spread across the country, it’s ironic that we came across a former broker who is continuing to make life difficult for a client. After leaving the lending firm where she worked, a mortgage broker stole the identity of one of her former clients to buy herself a $400,000 house. She was sentenced to four years in prison, so it looks like she will find herself in a big house after all. In other news, a recent bust on ID theft and illegal immigration at a slaughterhouse in North Carolina has 25 employees facing possible jail time.

You found the perfect dress, shelled out thousands of dollars on a cake, and somehow convinced mom and dad the sushi bar during the cocktail hour is a necessity. What could go wrong? Plenty if you are a victim of ID theft. The New York Post has an interesting story on brides and grooms who, when trying to make their way to the altar, discovered ID thieves beat them to the punch and already obtained a marriage license in their name. A little rain on your big day doesn’t seem so bad after all.

At ME&ME we always get excited when a U.S. state takes active steps to protect residents from ID theft. A new bill introduced in the California legislature would restrict the personal information that could be held by businesses or public agencies in addition to requiring them to notify customers when and where a breach occurs and what information might have been stolen. Also, a warning to parents and students about ID theft on college campuses as well as some tips for preventing it.

Today’s news from ComputerWorld is a tad bit unnerving. Actually, it’s pretty darn scary. A recent survey says 15 million Americans were victims of identity-theft related fraud from mid-2006 to mid-2007, a 50% increase from 2003. Adding insult to injury, the average loss per incident was over $3K, more than twice the amount than the previous year. In other news, new hiring laws in Arizona may lead to an increase in ID theft.

You dusted off the old resume, brushed up on your interview skills, and dove into the online job search head first. Imagine your surprise when you find out that decision may end up costing you. A security researcher discovered financial and personal data from 46,000 individuals was stolen through a computer virus on various online job search sites. The stolen data includes bank and credit card account information, social security numbers, and usernames and passwords for online accounts. Makes pouring through the classifieds seem much more attractive.

We here at ME&ME are old enough to know when we should and shouldn’t talk to strangers. When it comes to protecting your identity online, this lesson from our kindergarten days seems much more grown up. When users of online social networking site Facebook seemed to forget this important mantra, we couldn’t help but be disappointed. A recent test conducted on Facebook shows users are likely to divulge personal information to complete strangers who request their “friendship” on the site, giving away e-mails addresses, birthdates, phone numbers and home addresses, all of which could lead to ID theft. A real friendship shouldn’t cost you a dime, or your identity.

The Illinois state legislature earns a thumbs up from us here at ME&ME. A new state law will increase the penalty for ID thieves who target U.S. service members deployed overseas. Also, the San Jose Mercury News reminds us that our instincts are the first line of defense when it comes to preventing ID theft.

The IRS can’t afford to lose any fans and the recent news that its employees are likely to fall for social engineering tricks definitely isn’t attracting any new ones. In a recent test by the Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration, 60% of IRS employees surveyed gave away sensitive security information to researchers posed as computer help desk workers. The news is especially disturbing as hackers could use this information to access IRS computers and obtain taxpayers’ financial and personal information. To make matters worse, this isn’t the first time IRS employees have been tested for vulnerability to these tricks. The Inspector General conducted similar phone tests on IRS workers in 2001 and 2004. Pretty big learning curve if you ask us.