So why are we hearing so much about identity theft these days?  Has this been going on al along and we just are only recently hearing about it because the media decided it was a good story to tell.  Possibly.  But it could also be that pesky old Internet.  While technology advances, it brings with it new hopes and amazing new abilities, but it also brings new headaches and things we never ever imagined possible.  Like identity theft.  According to Robert Ellis Smith, identity theft is a “an absolute epidemic.” So what the heck does Robert Ellis Smith know?  Well, as a respected author on all things private and an advocate of maintaining personal privacy and security, he might know more than you think.  He maintains that the profundity of identity theft has definitely picked up in the last five years and that it is something that affects all Americans.  He also maintains that there is very little any American (or anyone else for that matter) can do about it and that it is one of those things that most people aren’t even aware of until it’s too late…their identity has already been stolen.  Those in the know, including law enforcement personnel are referring to identity theft as the one of the quickest growing crimes in all of the United States.  According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse’s special telephone hotline, inquiries about identity theft are the most numerous.  Because the victim’s don’t even know how on earth the criminals made off with their information especially things has private and highly sensitive as social security number, passport information or even credit card information, it is hard to guess how exactly the perpetrator’s are gaining access to that information.   But the director of the Privacy Right’s Clearinghouse says 25% of credit card losses are a direct result of fraud.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 13th, 2010 at 7:55 am and is filed under Individuals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.