It’s Not Always What YOU Do or Don’t Do

To add insult to injury to Hurricane Katrina evacuees, an investigation revealed that there was an identity theft security breach in Texas. An agency which had provided services the evacuees who ended up in Texas had inadvertently allowed personal information on more than 16,000 evacuees to be posted on two web sites which displayed public information. This information included names, addresses and social security numbers!

Although FEMA was not directly responsible for this other agency’s breach, they have tried to close the barn door after the horse was out by providing credit monitoring for 18 months for the victims. Unfortunately, so much identity theft fraud happens years after the incident that those people will have to be very vigilant about always watching their credit reports for years to come.

So, as careful as you may be with your information, it is not always you who is the one to cause a breach. This is why you have to be so attentive to what is out there and to whom you are giving your information. Right now, your information is in schools, hospitals, job sites and hundreds of other sites you don’t even think of. I am sure the victims of Katrina were not thinking about identity theft when they were being helped by the Texas agency. They were only concerned with getting some clothes on the backs, food in their mouths, and shelter over their heads. It is sad that a mistake by a governmental agency makes it necessary to think about identity theft in addition to just living.

If you need help, or further information about how to protect yourself, please feel free to contact us at info@identitytheftforum.net. Also check out The Little Book of Identity Theft at  http://www.ourlittlebooks.com/educational.html.