need help to eliminate deceit

Ted Solesky · Post by **Ted Solesky** » 10 Dec 2005 12:17 am

Guys, I just found out from our piano player who is a police officer, that his ID was stolen. He said that for $30, anyone can get on this web site that allows you to get anyones' driver's license number!! He said he is getting threat letters from stores etc, to pay up or else. He said he's going thru a lot of red tape and time to correct this crime. My question is, how can the law makers allow an organization like this to exist?? It's allowing them to steal your ID for $30.
We need to contact a senator, attorney general or whatever and raise he__, about this being allowed. I'll be seeing the piano player again tomorrow and see if I can get more detailed info on this and I'll post it here.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 10 Dec 2005 2:52 am

A drivers license alone cannot create ID theft.
There are many things involved.

there are numerous websites pertaining to this.

The absloute #1 way of understanding where you stand is to monitor all financial accounts daily..review statements etc..

It sure is a drag but there are things that consumers can do..

here is a first look weblink
http://www.find-legal.net/identitytheft.htm

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 10 December 2005 at 02:53 AM.]

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 10 Dec 2005 5:40 am

We just have to trust people to do the right thing, and punish them when they don't. If identity theft perpetrators were given a 10-year mandatory sentence, I'll wager it wouldn't be nearly as common!

There are millions of people who have ready access to most all your personal history. Some of these include - employees of the IRS (and any other federal law agency like the FBI, or CIA), state governments, city governmants, police departments, private investigators, hospitals, credit companies, employees of stores, real-estate companies, banks, insurance companies, the motor vehicle administration, and of course, your employer, etc... So even if you eliminate the "not so nice" people who sell information for profit on the internet, there would still be millions who have access to it.

IMHO, Identity theft will not be considered a major crime until it happens to enough "major" (important) people, like polititians (judges, senators, and other legislators), police officers, and of course...the very rich.

Then you'll see some serious action.

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 10 December 2005 at 05:42 AM.]

Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 10 Dec 2005 6:33 am

re: We just have to trust people to do the right thing, and punish them when they don't.

That's a good summary right there of what a society should be.
One way they can get your ID is get it off a credit card at a restaurant. Then they get the driver's license number, which often has your social security number on it.

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"Drinking up the future, and living down the past"--unknown singer in Phoenix[This message was edited by Darryl Hattenhauer on 10 December 2005 at 06:34 AM.][This message was edited by Darryl Hattenhauer on 10 December 2005 at 06:34 AM.]

Ted Solesky · Post by **Ted Solesky** » 10 Dec 2005 8:17 am

The website where they can get your driver's license is called, 'Public Data.com. What my complaint is that why are they allowed to exist?? With a your number, it opens door to other info. The one thing for sure is that they can get checks printed and the bounced checks come back against you. I'm only mentioning this is because it has happened to a police officer friend - so it's real world. My motive here is that if the attorney general or a senator get enough complaints about this exposure, they might pay attention to it. And I don't want to see any of my buddies out there get hit with this pain in the butt problem.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 10 Dec 2005 9:06 am

It's a backward arrangement at best for now. The problem has been that the financial community has accepted their risk as being acceptable, that is, thier risk and their losses are not enough for them to NEED ACCURACY when extending credit. You are basically at the mercy of the winds. Guilty until proven innocent.
I always liked Gene Hackmans point of view in the movie "Enemy of the State". He said, "Don't Exist!" (whilst speaking from inside a large faraday cage).
Guard your numbers with your life.[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 10 December 2005 at 09:08 AM.]

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 10 Dec 2005 9:56 am

*

[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 10 December 2005 at 04:28 PM.]

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 10 Dec 2005 2:03 pm

I kind of doubt that this kind of thing is just "allowed" to happen. You can get robbed on the street until they get caught by the law.

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 10 Dec 2005 3:05 pm

What Tony said.

But isn't this really something for the "off topic" forum?

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 10 Dec 2005 3:21 pm

No. The "Off Topic" board is reserved for "Anti-U.S. Government" insurgencies, and their harried detractors..

Sorry.

EJL

Jon Zimmerman · Post by **Jon Zimmerman** » 10 Dec 2005 10:55 pm

I like the smiley, Eric. You're SO festive!..as WELL as fiesty!
Until the Credit Card industry finally ante's up and buys into the latest/greatest technology--using finger print ID or even the uniqueness of each iris in our eyes, which can be impregnated on most any plastic for a memory device to recognize..felons will run rampant...and they deal with consequences just the way they do now..with lawyers.com! JMHO

Fred Shannon · Post by **Fred Shannon** » 12 Dec 2005 5:17 pm

"A drivers license alone cannot create ID theft."

TILT!! Access to a Texas Driver's License and Public Data.com, can create a theft of a
licensess' Identification faster than you can breathe in and out. You see folks a bunch of dumb butted politicians in this state have tied the social security number to the driver's license. Through the ballot box we have gotten rid of several of the Johnny Come Latelys.

Believe it or not the State of South Carolina tried to purchase the Texas Driver's License Data Base and would have been able to do so, but for the efforts of a few Texans that raised so much cain, the politicians stopped the sale.

Privacy is limited by the ability of one to access that "National Identification Number" labelled as Social Security.
Phred

Jerry Johnston · Post by **Jerry Johnston** » 12 Dec 2005 7:08 pm

This is allowed by the Government for the same reason they allow Spyware to operate. The government itself is using it to compile info on anyone who does not agree with their neo-con agenda.

Jerry Johnston

Started with no talent---still have most of it

Ted Solesky · Post by **Ted Solesky** » 12 Dec 2005 7:10 pm

Fred, whatever they got, which is suppose to give driver's license only, they got our piano player in trouble and he's a police officer. I can give you his email if you want to talk to him. It's a mess.

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 13 Dec 2005 10:55 pm

Jim Sliff asked; "But isn't this really something for the "off topic" forum?"

No. This pertains to the use of computers to commit crimes and the (in)security of certain online databases. It most certainly belongs on this forum. It serves as a warning about another unexpected source of identity theft, especially for folks who live in Texas, or any other state that may decide to add social security numbers to drivers' licenses.

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Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
or my computer troubleshooting website: Wizcrafts Computer Services