Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
bloomberg.com
Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
1–10 of 195 posts
Re: Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
#2What product can I buy to protect myself from this very scary identity theft threat?
Re: Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
#3Counterintuitively, this is evidence that the Equifax breach isn't necessarily going to cause massive harm. If someone wanted to impersonate you, they could already.
I remain hopeful that the full list of 140M SSNs will be posted in full. It's a rare opportunity: if that happens, the US will have no choice but to finally switch to a new system. One that doesn't rely on SSNs being private. That's the absurdity. It is easy to steal your identity because we have allowed it to be easy.
It's going to be difficult to switch to a new system, but the pain will be worth it. Imagine if the author could finally have peace of mind because nobody could impersonate him.
That is a fairytale, admittedly. It's always going to be possible to steal someone's identity if you're determined. But just look how trivial it is right now. Your driver's license plus the thief's photo is all they need. And it's possible to forge: they don't even need to swipe your physical one.
Those are “the keys to the kingdom,” said Bo Holland, CEO of AllClear ID, an identity-monitoring service. “Once you have somebody's name, social, birth date, and address, you can go and open new accounts.”
The SSN shouldn't be the critical key in that list.
Re: Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
#4Counterintuitively, this is evidence that the Equifax breach isn't necessarily going to cause massive harm. If someone wanted to impersonate you, they could already. I remain hopeful that the full list of 140M SSNs will be posted in full. It's a rare opportunity: if that happens, the US will have no choice but to finally switch to a new system. One that doesn't rely on SSNs being private. That's the absurdity. It is…
> the world
The United States. I assure you that even though other countries have credit reporting, they do not use SSNs.
> will have no choice but to finally switch to a new system.
Really? I think they will just carry on unless and until the financial downside (losses from extending bad credit, or lawsuits from identity theft victims, or penalties from the federal government intervening directly) is shown to be really huge.
Re: Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
#5Counterintuitively, this is evidence that the Equifax breach isn't necessarily going to cause massive harm. If someone wanted to impersonate you, they could already. I remain hopeful that the full list of 140M SSNs will be posted in full. It's a rare opportunity: if that happens, the US will have no choice but to finally switch to a new system. One that doesn't rely on SSNs being private. That's the absurdity. It is…
> the world The United States. I assure you that even though other countries have credit reporting, they do not use SSNs. > will have no choice but to finally switch to a new system. Really? I think they will just carry on unless and until the financial downside (losses from extending bad credit, or lawsuits from identity theft victims, or penalties from the federal government intervening directly) is shown to be rea…
Fixed, thanks. What do you feel are some sensible systems used by the rest of the world? One that's hopefully hard enough to break but easy enough not to cause massive hassles.
Re: Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
> the world The United States. I assure you that even though other countries have credit reporting, they do not use SSNs. > will have no choice but to finally switch to a new system. Really? I think they will just carry on unless and until the financial downside (losses from extending bad credit, or lawsuits from identity theft victims, or penalties from the federal government intervening directly) is shown to be rea…
Fixed, thanks. What do you feel are some sensible systems used by the rest of the world? One that's hopefully hard enough to break but easy enough not to cause massive hassles.
Better checks by the banks, they need to take responsibility when opening accounts and not rely on the credit bureaus. This could mean slightly more expensive banking services.
Re: Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
#7Earlier quoted context omitted.
> the world The United States. I assure you that even though other countries have credit reporting, they do not use SSNs. > will have no choice but to finally switch to a new system. Really? I think they will just carry on unless and until the financial downside (losses from extending bad credit, or lawsuits from identity theft victims, or penalties from the federal government intervening directly) is shown to be rea…
Fixed, thanks. What do you feel are some sensible systems used by the rest of the world? One that's hopefully hard enough to break but easy enough not to cause massive hassles.
To confirm your identify: national ID card, passport or driver license.
To confirm your income: Your yearly income tax sheet, a payslip or your contract of employment.
There is really no reason whatsoever for credit check and background check agencies to exist. All they do is ask for these papers anyway.
Re: Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
#8I submitted this like 2 days ago :D
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15247810
Re: Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
#9Counterintuitively, this is evidence that the Equifax breach isn't necessarily going to cause massive harm. If someone wanted to impersonate you, they could already. I remain hopeful that the full list of 140M SSNs will be posted in full. It's a rare opportunity: if that happens, the US will have no choice but to finally switch to a new system. One that doesn't rely on SSNs being private. That's the absurdity. It is…
> Counterintuitively, this is evidence that the Equifax breach isn't necessarily going to cause massive harm. If someone wanted to impersonate you, they could already.
This argument doesn't not follow logically. It's like saying you shouldn't lock your house because if somebody really wants to get in, they will do it.
Re: Three Years in Identity Theft Hell
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
> the world The United States. I assure you that even though other countries have credit reporting, they do not use SSNs. > will have no choice but to finally switch to a new system. Really? I think they will just carry on unless and until the financial downside (losses from extending bad credit, or lawsuits from identity theft victims, or penalties from the federal government intervening directly) is shown to be rea…
Fixed, thanks. What do you feel are some sensible systems used by the rest of the world? One that's hopefully hard enough to break but easy enough not to cause massive hassles.
Five years on top of what you get for other crimes if you faked a government ID (in itself it can be as low as one year but combined with other crimes, it's five years). It's one good step among many.