Driver’s License IDentity Theft

Thieves use my information to acquire a driver’s license in my name or claim to be me during a traffic stop

• I could receive DWI, DUI, and other driving-related charges
• My driving privileges could be suspended or revoked
• I could be arrested during a routine traffic stop for crimes you did not commit

An 82-year-old grandmother, quit driving during the Truman administration. In 2001 she “suddenly found herself in what she describes as a ‘living hell’ after one of her neighbors, arrested on drunk-driving charges...pretended to be her. ‘I was told there were warrants for my arrest...I was afraid to answer the phone’.
AARP Bulletin, February 2004

Social Security (SSN) IDentity Theft

Thieves use my SSN IDentity to gain employment or to report income under my name

• Thieves take the income, but don't pay the taxes, leaving me with the bill
• Wanted criminals use my SSN IDentity so they can get employment without being found
• Illegal immigrants use my SSN IDentity to gain employment.
• Thieves and Criminals use my SSN for employment, medical, financial, criminal, school, and other purposes.

The Secret List of ID Theft Victims
A Chicago woman applied for a job at a local Target department store and was denied. The reason? She already worked there – or rather, her Social Security number already worked there. Follow-up investigation revealed the same Social Security Number … used to obtain work at 37 other employers.

“People need to wake up to this problem. They are destroying people’s credit, Social Security benefits, and everything else.”
MSNBC, January 29, 2005

Medical IDentity Theft

Thieves use your information for insurance benefits, R_x, Medicare, Medicaid benefits, or for medical tests

• My rates could go up or my coverage could be canceled or used up
• I could owe thousands of dollars for a procedure I never had
• I could be unable to obtain medical or life insurance, other coverage, and/or employment because of conditions that I do not have (AIDS, Diabetes etc…)

“If the person who steals your health identity has allergies or specific medical conditions that collide with yours for instance … when you go in for care, you may experience a dangerous drug interaction or unknowingly be denied potentially lifesaving medications or treatments because they will assume the thief’s medical information is yours.”
Carole Pennington 9/7/2005

Medical IDentity Theft: The information crime that can kill you

“As the health care system transitions from paper-based to electronic, this crime may become easier to commit and harder to trace. Victims may find it more difficult to recover from medical identity theft as medical errors are disseminated and redisseminated through computer networks and other medical information-sharing pathways.”   World Privacy Forum, May 2006

Character / Criminalinancial IDentity Theft

Thieves mask their criminal activity behind my identity

• I could be arrested
• I could be denied employment because of fraudulent criminal records found during routine background checks
• Security checkpoints at airports could become a nightmare for me
• I could be denied a passport and be barred from leaving the country

[story here]

Financial IDentity Theft

Thieves use my information to open new accounts or to gain access to existing accounts

• Thieves rob my accounts
• They rack up outrageous charges on credit cards, take out new loans, and more
• They destroy my credit, forcing me to pay higher rates
• I can absolutely be held responsible for the debts incurred by the thieves in my name

Each year, 7 to 10 million Americans fall prey to IDentity Theft… From massive data-brokerage firms to tiny local banks, your identity is irretrievably ‘out there.’ - MSNBC

ID Fraudsters Stay One Step Ahead
IDentity thieves are increasingly finding their jackpot is not in your mailbox or kitchen trash bag, but the computer files stored at your chiropractor, accountant or doctor … the future is not burglaries of your home, but of dentists, CPA’s, insurers etc...
MarketWatch, October 2, 2005

Somewhere out there, there must be a program that helps me take reasonable measures:
To appoint a ‘go-to’ person if something happens or for questions
To help me have a procedure written up or documented to help show my courses taken to protect NPPI
To provide training for employees who have access to NPPI

DISCLAIMER:
The information discussed above constantly changes.
You are encouraged to review the surveys and statements and draw your own conclusions through independent research.
The information provided is not to be taken as legal advice.