November 21, 2007

All UK families with a child under 16 are at risk of fraud and identity theft, after the government loses two CDs in the post. The CDs are password-protected but no mention has been made of any form of encryption, meaning it's a sure bet the CDs will be easily accessed, especially if the Chancellor's password is "hello". It strikes a blow to the government's push towards centralisation of all records.
posted by tracicle 17 years ago
  • Loss of data is also one of the main reasons why several wards protested about the Japanese citizen ID number. Stuff goes missing all the time.
  • Database theft and mishandling has sadly been ongoing for quite a while, just like in the case of Choicepoint's hijinks with voter registry records in the USA and several Latinamerican countries. Ah, who watches the watchers (and their bumbles), indeed.
  • I'm still hoping the discs turn out to be lurking in the NAO's basement somewhere, along with many other items of post sent to them over the years.
  • I guess this affects you directly, Pleg? Oh dear. I'm sure the Open Rights Group* will be following this. Protect Your Bits! *with a certain monkey on the board.
  • Nothing to worry about. They have been found on eBay.
  • Serves the sponging breeders right for soaking up my hard earned taxes that could be better spent on kitten sanctuaries or something. *Daily Mail face*
  • I will certainly vote for teh ID cards now.
  • I find your lack of faith disturbing. *Vader face*
  • I vote for kitten sanctuaries!
  • If we all met face-to-face with half the goat-brained dimwits who have access to databases containing our personal information, we'd probably keep our money in our mattresses and live in shacks in the mountains.
  • I can't keep my cash in the mattress 'cause pennies are too lumpy to sleep on.
  • I'm not sure why anyone is especially concerned about identity fraud. Maybe I'm being naive but does anyone know someone who has suffered identity theft (away from phishing) who has not (perhaps after a bit of headbanging with their bank manager) got their pieces of soon to be worthless fiat currency back? Doesn't that make the whole thing the bank/cc company's problem?
  • Someone used my identity and previous address to buy £400 worth of stuff from the Littlewood's catalogue lately. Apart from the shit I had dealing with the debt collectors etc, if you had seen the shite in the Littlewood's catalogue, you would understand my hurt. Are you reading this, you identity-stealing chav cunt!?
  • Sorry, I can't resist their cardies.
  • > I'm not sure why anyone is especially concerned about identity fraud. One of the problems is that banks and other credit institutions are so keen on lending money (or at least they were until the recent subprime crunch) that they send out "preapproved" loan or credit card applications in the post with a lot of personal data already filled in. If you can get your hands on a bunch of these, it is quite lucrative to set up a version of the intended recipient's identity for your own use. Three preapproved loans plus a couple of credit cards could net you >50K for a few week's work. Then the poor schmuck whose identity you've taken has to prove five times that s/he is not the person who took the money. Financially, it's the problem of the financing agency, but in terms of time and mental stress, it's the target who suffers.
  • EXACTLY! Are you reading this, Littlewood's, you corporate cunt!!???
  • In my days of dealing with fraud, I saw a lot of stuff that'd make you care. If someone steals your identity and applies for credit in your name, then defaults (which they will), it hinders your ability to get credit. It can hold people up on everything from hooking up utilities to buying homes. People who are victims of identity theft not only have to keep constant vigil on their credit reports for the rest of their lives in case someone starts at it again, they also have the feeling that their lives aren't their own, that they've been violated as surely as if someone broke into their homes. They usually also spend hours, days, weeks or longer dealing with card companies, cops, the Secret Service and FBI making reports, calling bank after bank to explain that, no, they aren't the ones that took out that car loan, trying to clear their credit (it's much easier to prove you did something than to prove you didn't). Sure, someone else eats the money, thus driving up the cost of credit cards, banks and merchandise for all of us, but that's the least of your worries if your identity is stolen.
  • That's the US, obviously. And it's next to impossible to get a new Social Security number, even when yours is compromised. You mileage may vary in other countries.
  • Lara, you keep posting drivel like this when all we really want to know is: What was your mother's maiden name?
  • Lloyds TSB just phoned me to ask if I'd been spending in South Africa today. True. I have a new card in the post!
  • Whem my card number was stolen, nobody called to ask me if I was spending money at both Islamic Relief and J-Date.