August 05, 2010
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Children Under Attack, Pt.1
Picking on children, the deceased, and the homeless.Identity thieves have uncovered a number of different ways to victimize individuals from stealing credit card numbers to driver's licenses to social security numbers. It has become almost impossible to predict their next line of attack. Not only are they attacking the good names of hardworking adults, but they have now begun to prey upon the deceased and our children. Credit card and identity thieves have created a new software program that searches Social Security Numbers (SSN) to find unused or dormant numbers which are often assigned to the deceased and young children. These online companies sell the numbers under a different name to fraudsters for use to establish credit histories by acquiring credit card accounts for fraudulent use. The thieves then opened up several different credit accounts, run credit limits to the max, and never pay the bills.
Recently, the Associated Press ran a story that talked about the latest identity theft scam. In an interview with Jennifer Leuer, General Manager of Experian's ProtectMyID.com began receiving complaints nearly seven years ago. Leuer's company is a provider of identity theft detection, protection and fraud resolution. Credit card and identity thieves are attracted to child identity theft because children's SSNs typically remain unused for 16 or more years. Another popular sector to capture dormant SSNs from is the homeless. Homeless people often go years if ever without working or obtaining loans or credit cards.
Investigators continue to seek out these credit card and identity thieves as well as work out the legal details for prosecution. Convincing a number of industries to cease using SSNs will be the best option for preventing theft of children's, the deceased, and the homeless numbers. Insurance companies have already started the process of removing SSNs from medical cards and no longer require them for processing medical claims. Drivers' licenses have also ceased to list SSNs. The biggest challenge will be the financial industry which depends on SSNs when issuing credit. Ironically, the financial industry also has the greatest amount to lose. Read part two to see how the AP suggests you can protect your loved one's SSNs.