Leaks of Personal Data Swell to a Deluge

[flashl]

Hundreds of millions of people were left vulnerable to identity theft in 2007 because of data breaches, resarchers say.

More than 120 million people in the U.S. had personal data exposed in 2007 as identity theft reached record heights. That's according to research from the nonprofit organization the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) which reported 446 separate breaches exposing 128 million records.

The data shows a more-than sixfold increase over its 2006 figures, when 312 incidents were recorded, involving more than 19 million individuals.

Another group, Attrition.org, shows 319 personal information data loss incidents in 2007 in its database, both in the U.S. and other countries.

Criminals can fraudulently use other another person's identity data to buy goods, take out loans, take money from savings accounts, and hire cars. That person has to recover from the loss and endure badgering by debt-recovery organizations and bailiffs.

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[aquart]

1. Let's talk Hallmark ecards.

They give registered members an address book. Did you know that you cannot save an email address in that book without also giving the person's full name and MAILING ADDRESS?

Now what, pray tell, are they planning to do with the full names and complete addresses of my friends and relatives? (NOT that they're getting them.)

[whatdoyouthink]

2. Look what happened in England

They got 1/2 the population Info - Bank card / pin / everything - and all they said is sorry
This is Scary - all these "Data Bases"

[Mnemosyne]

3. 217,118,526 in US as of 12/31/07

TOTAL number of records containing sensitive personal information
involved in security breaches in the U.S.

http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/ChronDataBreaches.htm

Welcome to DU, wdyt! :hi: