U.S. Secret Service Warns ID Thieves Are Abusing USPS’s Mail Scanning Service
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Re: U.S. Secret Service Warns ID Thieves Are Abusing USPS’s Mail Scanning Service
#2The fact that "identity theft" is still a thing in 2018 is an indictment on the legacy financial industry.
If not for the web of opaque "agencies" that collect and sell data about individuals without affirmative action on behalf of the individual (frankly still surprised this is legal) it would be a complete non-issue.
It's irrelevant to me whether someone else opens an account with my name - just as it's irrelevant to me whether someone registers an account elsewhere with the username 'esotericn'.
The banks bring this problem upon themselves.
edit: The replies to this post are missing the point entirely. Yes, it's a problem because it's a problem.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Re: U.S. Secret Service Warns ID Thieves Are Abusing USPS’s Mail Scanning Service
#3So I began reading and figured, huh, thieves must just stealing be the validation letter USPS would send, and thought, hey, that system which is used in many other places for similar things would be quite vulnerable to that attack, right?
But then I got to this bit:
> KrebsOnSecurity took the USPS to task last year in part for not using its own unique communications method — the U.S. Mail — to validate and notify residents when someone at their address signs up for Informed Delivery. The USPS addressed that shortcoming earlier this year, announcing it had started alerting all households by mail whenever anyone signs up to receive scanned notifications of mail delivered to their address.
> However, it appears that ID thieves have figured out ways to hijack identities and order new credit cards in victims’ names before the USPS can send their notification
What the actual hell? You can sign up online to get mail scanned… without any physical verification you're at the address, with only a physical notification being sent after-the-fact?
What the hell are USPS smoking?
It makes me wonder what you need to do to sign up for this. I wonder…
goes to website
it seems like the only thing they do is ask for the address, and you check a box to accept the T&Cs. I don't know if there's actual verification beyond that step, but it doesn't sound like there is…
Re: U.S. Secret Service Warns ID Thieves Are Abusing USPS’s Mail Scanning Service
#4The fact that "identity theft" is still a thing in 2018 is an indictment on the legacy financial industry. If not for the web of opaque "agencies" that collect and sell data about individuals without affirmative action on behalf of the individual (frankly still surprised this is legal) it would be a complete non-issue. It's irrelevant to me whether someone else opens an account with my name - just as it's irrelevant…
except then they blame you, for having your identity "stolen".
Re: U.S. Secret Service Warns ID Thieves Are Abusing USPS’s Mail Scanning Service
#5The fact that "identity theft" is still a thing in 2018 is an indictment on the legacy financial industry. If not for the web of opaque "agencies" that collect and sell data about individuals without affirmative action on behalf of the individual (frankly still surprised this is legal) it would be a complete non-issue. It's irrelevant to me whether someone else opens an account with my name - just as it's irrelevant…
> It's irrelevant to me whether someone else opens an account with my name
If they commit crime in your name, that's your problem no matter what financial system they do it in.
Re: U.S. Secret Service Warns ID Thieves Are Abusing USPS’s Mail Scanning Service
#6The fact that "identity theft" is still a thing in 2018 is an indictment on the legacy financial industry. If not for the web of opaque "agencies" that collect and sell data about individuals without affirmative action on behalf of the individual (frankly still surprised this is legal) it would be a complete non-issue. It's irrelevant to me whether someone else opens an account with my name - just as it's irrelevant…
> It's irrelevant to me whether someone else opens an account with my name If they commit crime in your name, that's your problem no matter what financial system they do it in.
Exactly.
It's a self inflicted issue. They claim that "my identity" matters, so it matters.
Their decision making affects me through no action of my own.
If you sign up at Reddit with the username 'esotericn', I don't care. It doesn't matter.
Somehow, if someone signs up for, say, a phone contract in my name and doesn't pay it, it affects some opaque 'credit score' somewhere because an agency couldn't be arsed to do due diligence. They push the burden on to end consumers.
I sidestep most of this by just avoiding debt because I can't be arsed with the farce.
Re: U.S. Secret Service Warns ID Thieves Are Abusing USPS’s Mail Scanning Service
#7So I began reading and figured, huh, thieves must just stealing be the validation letter USPS would send, and thought, hey, that system which is used in many other places for similar things would be quite vulnerable to that attack, right? But then I got to this bit: > KrebsOnSecurity took the USPS to task last year in part for not using its own unique communications method — the U.S. Mail — to validate and notify res…
That’s a real shame. I must have signed up after that letter was sent.
It’s a great service otherwise.
Re: U.S. Secret Service Warns ID Thieves Are Abusing USPS’s Mail Scanning Service
#8The fact that "identity theft" is still a thing in 2018 is an indictment on the legacy financial industry. If not for the web of opaque "agencies" that collect and sell data about individuals without affirmative action on behalf of the individual (frankly still surprised this is legal) it would be a complete non-issue. It's irrelevant to me whether someone else opens an account with my name - just as it's irrelevant…
It would not be a problem if it were only a problem for the entities creating it. It will become very relevant to you if it ever happens to you.
Re: U.S. Secret Service Warns ID Thieves Are Abusing USPS’s Mail Scanning Service
#9So I began reading and figured, huh, thieves must just stealing be the validation letter USPS would send, and thought, hey, that system which is used in many other places for similar things would be quite vulnerable to that attack, right? But then I got to this bit: > KrebsOnSecurity took the USPS to task last year in part for not using its own unique communications method — the U.S. Mail — to validate and notify res…
> What the hell are USPS smoking?
Whatever it is, there is a lot of it about.
Re: U.S. Secret Service Warns ID Thieves Are Abusing USPS’s Mail Scanning Service
#10Security Concerns aside. The informed delivery service is great. I've been using it for a little over a year now. They began inserting ads into the Informed Delivery Email. Senders must place some sort of barcode that is then read by the USPS scanner. It's nice to see our postal service trying to close the gap on their (net) loss.