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ID Theft - demand your PIN!

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Chase customer records and loan application disposed in trash on NY street

This article is the about the YouTube video starting out with a potential borrower’s loan application, of course with SSN #, birth date, employer, all that good stuff—found in the trash on the street outside a NY Chase branch.

YouTube Shocker: Chase Bank Records Found In Trash
Video Exploits Security Lapses With Customer Info

Jay Dow
Reporting

(CBS) NEW YORK A bank error that’s certainly not in your favor has found its way onto the Internet, and now officials say very personal information of thousands of Chase Bank customers could find its way into the hands of identity thieves.

A new YouTube video flaunting the personal information of Chase Bank customers is getting a lot of attention. The video shows a person holding numerous confidential financial documents of bank customers, and pointing out information that is supposed to be protected by the bank.

“Social Security Numbers here as well as date of birth,” one person could be heard saying on the video, pointing to one of the documents.

Bank statements, credit reports and other personal documents were seen being unearthed in the video.

Researchers for the Service Employees International Union, which is battling the banking giant over its use of non-union security employees, found the documents out in the open. They were found in trash bags that were left outside several New York City Chase branches.

According to Local 32 spokesman Matt Nerzig, the video shows “deposit slips, all kinds of materials and papers naturally assumed shredded in the bank.”

Many bank customers are very careful with their personal information, and are not amused at the public revelations about account information.

“I will go to YouTube and look at the video, I mean, that’s outrageous,” said Chase customer Larry Feldstein.

“It’s pretty scary that your data could be out there,” added Robert Lipper, another Chase client.

Chase responded in a written statement, which read:

“We take these allegations and privacy of customer information very seriously and are investigating the information provided by the union. We have reached out to the union to get additional information.”

What happened with Chase is the latest in a string of high-profile embarrassing YouTube videos, including the Michael Richards rant and some gems from politicians

Most of the videos at YouTube are so NOT worth watching, but this is a rare exception, very cool.  There ought to be a special site just for people with brains making INTERESTING videos.

And the bottom line is that the corporations do ANYTHING to cut costs, they have an obligation to maximize their shareholders’ profits and they own the government.

The customers’ remedy is of course to pay to become slaves to some other corporations, the credit reporting agencies.

Not only are consumers forced to be unpaid laborers, they even have to PAY to work, to order credit reports, to review credit reports, to dispute ID theft related accounts, to plead with law enforcement to write up police reports, to dispute with creditors who according to federal judge Neil Wake have no duty to their customers and don’t even have to provide any information about fraudulent charges and the criminals who committed ID theft.

And what are YOU doing about this?

Most likely, you’re one of the 200+ million Americans who do as they’re told.

“Jump!”

“How high?”

Americans at their best.  Following orders.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

800 ChoicePoint ID theft vicims got no payments from $5,000,000 fund?

According to this article at CollectionIndustry.com, the FTC keeps the ChoicePoint ID theft victims from getting settlements.

Quite unbelievable!

But then again, it’s the FTC, so why am I surprised?

ChoicePoint Data Breach Victims Still Await Payments
September 21, 2006

by Mike Bevel, CollectionIndustry.com

Happy almost-eight-month-versary to defrauded ChoicePoint customers! You’re still without any kind of cash settlement, though, right?

ChoicePoint is one of the largest data aggregators and resellers in the country. What does this mean? It means they collect your personal information and sell this information to marketing firms and advertisers – not to mention employers, debt collectors, loan officers, media organizations, law offices, law enforcement, etc.

It’s legit – if sticky – and few people knew about ChoicePoint or ChoicePoint-esque operations – until data thieves opened fake accounts at ChoicePoint and had access to roughly 19 billion records.

Federal regulators stepped in, and they secured a settlement with ChoicePoint (whom they found to be liable for the breach) to compensate the 800 folks affected by the breach. A fund was set up with $5 million dollars.

The Federal Trade Commission also has not yet implemented procedures for how the 800 fraud victims it has identified so far can apply for and receive compensation from the fund, nor has it hired anyone to administer the fund on behalf of the agency, FTC spokeswoman Claudia Bourne Farrell told the Associated Press.

The delay is being attributed to a cautious investigation. Jessica Rich, assistant director of the FTC’s division of privacy and identity theft, said that “law enforcement is still identifying victims, and we want to make sure we have the right people.”

Law enforcement will be identifying victims FOREVER.  The illegally obtained data is out there, it is actually quite likely that Ed Magedson (Ripoff Report) obtained MY data (he e-mailed me Steve Miller’s personal identifying data for publication, probably obtained from ChoicePoint) and my data could be used ANY TIME.  Today, tomorrow, or in 25 years.

After all, I can’t change my birthdate, social security number, etc.

And when I tried to report Ed Magedson’s illegal activities, NOBODY gave a rat’s ass. That’s the best part, those morons in “law enforcement” as well as at Kinko’s where he used the computers couldn’t have cared less.

Friday, July 07, 2006

Wells Fargo faxed me a customer’s account change with all personal data

The account holder was not happy when I called her.  Most people would call the sender, but since this Consumer Account Application For Relationship Change contained her phone #, I decided to call her.  The document had all the bank account info, the existing and new account holder’s address, DOB, SSN, driver’s license # and Air Force ID with expiration dates ...

They do not have a record with ChexSystems. 

The fax was actually supposed to be sent to another Wells Fargo branch.  Fax isn’t that secure, I actually get quite a few faxes NOT intended for me.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Social security numbers and birth dates for 26 million Vets stolen - demand your PIN!

WHY are social security numbers used to identify persons for the purpose of obtaining credit?

http://www.firstgov.gov/veteransinfo.shtml

Latest Information on Veterans Affairs Data Security

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has recently learned that an employee, a data analyst, took home electronic data from the VA, which he was not authorized to do. This behavior was in violation of VA policies. This data contained identifying information including names, social security numbers, and dates of birth for up to 26.5 million veterans and some spouses, as well as some disability ratings. Importantly, the affected data did not include any of VA’s electronic health records nor any financial information. The employee’s home was burglarized and this data was stolen. The employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

Appropriate law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the VA Inspector General’s office, have launched full-scale investigations into this matter. Authorities believe it is unlikely the perpetrators targeted the items because of any knowledge of the data contents. It is possible that they remain unaware of the information which they possess or of how to make use of it. However, out of an abundance of caution, the VA is taking all possible steps to protect and inform our veterans.

The VA is working with members of Congress, the news media, veterans service organizations, and other government agencies to help ensure that veterans and their families are aware of the situation and of the steps they may take to protect themselves from misuse of their personal information. The VA will send out individual notification letters to veterans to every extent possible. Additionally, working with other government agencies, the VA has set up a manned call center that veterans may call to get information about this situation and learn more about consumer identity protections. That toll free number is 1-800-FED INFO (1-800-333-4636). The call center will operate from 8 am to 9 pm (EDT), Monday-Saturday as long as it is needed.

....

The VA does NOTHING useful at all—instead they urge the vets to hand their cash over to the credit bureaus.

For years I’ve demanded that the credit bureaus issue user changeable PINs to secure my credit files—as all banks have been doing for decades to secure accounts.  It’s not rocket science, it’s as simple as adding a new field for the PIN to the credit files and to the software provided to creditors who order credit reports.  Instead of creditors and their employees running the credit for anyone whose name and address they have, they ought to provide the PIN the consumer chose.

Of course you can’t expect the credit bureaus to VOLUNTARILY give up a huge junk of their business:

1) the profits from the sales of credit monitoring products to consumers.

2) the profits from the sales of credit reports WITHOUT a permissible purpose.

Equifax is cashing in on the lates data breach:

Let us help protect YOU

Equifax recommends the free annual reports, doesn’t disclose 45 day investigations

Equifax does NOT disclose that you should NOT order the free annual report if your credit is important because Equifax will extend the investigations of your disputes from 30 days to 45 days.  If you are an ID theft victim, that’s the LAST thing you need.

Equifax recommends the dangerous FRAUD ALERTS.

Of course they don’t explain that you may be unable to obtain credit that YOU apply for and that you may not even be able to obtain your OWN credit reports anymore.

Equifax falsely advertises that their credit monitoring services PROTECT consumers form identity theft.

The giant lie.  AT BEST, you will be informed of the ID theft AFTER it occurred.

At 50% off Equifax stands to make about $14 millions if all vets ordered at the discounted price of $49.95.

Congress even investigates oil companies, but they do NOTHING but create MORE business for the CRAs through ID theft.  They should have added to the 2003 FACT Act that the credit bureaus must allow consumers to secure their credit files with PINs, as banks have done for decades.

Whether it’s stupidity or corruption, the legislators all act as if they get a percentage of the CRAs’ profits.

There’s only ONE way to change this corrupt system:

Publish all this personal data and sell it to numerous criminals worldwide.  Not all of the 26 million vets are worker bees.  Some are even legislators.  If enough people in POWER and major campaign contributors are at risk of ID theft, they’ll require PINs.  Congress COULD vote for legislation requiring that CRAs secure credit files with user changeable PINs on Tuesday.

Instead of handing their cash over to the CRAs for credit monitoring services that do NOT prevent ID theft, consumer would make a toll-free call to set up their PIN and never worry about ID theft due to data breaches again.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Sue Capital One for negligent enablement of ID theft and they’ll file your SSN with the court

The court ruled last year that Capital One has no duty to give me any info about fraudulent charges and apparently negligent enablement of identity theft isn’t a cause of action in Arizona.

So with its motion for summary judgment, Capital One filed a bunch of ACDVs and other exhibits with my SSN, DOB and of course addresses etc.—everything they need to verify accounts with the CRAs.

I didn’t actually look at the exhibits until the 12th, when I started to work on my response.  Had to call the court on the 15th and they finally sealed the exhibits and made Cap One refile.

I decided to have a look at the Equifax filings, and they ALSO filed a bunch of exhibits with all my identifying data.  Rodrick Coffey refiled on the 17th—the exact SAME docs with all my personal data again, but apparently he or somebody at the court figured it out.  So then I printed everything for the 3rd time. 

Needless to say, I didn’t spend much time working on my response to the Cap One msj, due on the 17th. 

I’m wondering if I can change my SSN.  Anyone with a PACER account could have downloaded the exhibits, the Cap One filings were available for a month and Equifax a couple weeks.

Did any of them apologize?

Of course not.

I suppose this is a lot like credit reporting, it’s my duty to continually check their work and then to pay them for credit monitoring services to ensure that I get notified after someone used my info, so that I can mitigate the creditors’ damages.

I noticed that most consumer lawyers also file all the entire credit reports w/o redacting personal info, I don’t know what the hell they’re thinking.  The courts obviously have no time nor should they waste tax payer funds to check the thousands of pages filed— that’s the ATTORNEYS’ job.

I’ve read about recent laws prohibiting the filing of SSNs, but I don’t remember statutory damages.