Publicity Seeking Authors Are Identity Theft Vulnerable.
Did You Know?
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Sorry, but we need to talk about a dirty little secret. Authors are at risk for Identify theft.
We authors go to great lengths to establish ourselves in the public eye. Educating the world about us is the goal. We actively engage in pouring information about ourselves on to the public stage. Yes, I know you’re careful about what you say, but it only takes small pieces here and there to elevate your risk exposure.
Of course, one piece of information isn’t, by itself, dangerous. So you have your birth date on Facebook? So you mention your mother’s maiden name in an interview or a post somewhere? So, the public knows the number and names of your children. That alone isn’t a problem, but, when taken in the aggregate, when the dots are connected by dishonest people who know where to find the dots, and how to connect them…you’re at risk, plain and simple.
For example, if a crook takes a bit of public information from the Court House, some birth and home-of-record data from Facebook, and maybe some personal information gleaned from interviews or twitter postings; your identity is at best vulnerable.
This has nothing to do with shopping on line, or downloading computer files, or answering emails from people posing as your bank, PayPal, or the IRS. This has everything to do with how much is known and can be collected about you from all available sources.
The ID thieves are skilled at identifying vulnerable people and compiling these bits and pieces of information into a profile. The more public you are, the easier it is to assemble a file. When enough has been gathered, it’s sold and your ID compromised. Ever consider that you’re being cyber-watched and key data recorded in a file? Crazy? Paranoid? Absurd? Over thinking? Over the top? Maybe. But, it can happen to anyone.
This example is from a purse-snatching event. The point is, the information gather—however obtained–was used. Look quickly at the following from the Washington Post…
As Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke struggled to hold the economy together last August, he was distracted by a more personal financial problem: He and his wife were victims of identity theft.
Bernanke’s brush with financial crime began when a thief stole Anna Bernanke’s purse from the back of her chair at a Capitol Hill Starbucks.
A week later, a $900 check from the couple’s Wachovia Bank account was deposited at a Bank of America in Hyattsville.
Bernanke emphasized that anyone can become a victim of identity theft — which law enforcement officials have long said is among the fastest-growing financial crimes.
Court records said the conspirators stole personal identification and bank account information from hundreds of people. They then often used the information to create counterfeit identification documents, impersonate victims and siphon money from their accounts, the records said.
Here’s a film clip about a victim who was erroneously PUT IN JAIL for crimes committed by a woman who stole her identity then, engaged in illegal activities.
Wow. That’s an eye-opener.
What can you do? Aside from the common sense precautions I won’t list here, the single most prudent thing you can do is retain the services of an identity protection company. The top three—in no particular order–are: Identity Guard, Lifelock, and TrustedID. Let me be clear about a couple of points…
- These companies can help your protect your identity, but neither they–nor anyone–can prevent it from being stolen. Think of protection as insurance. Health insurance is a great thing, but it won’t prevent a broken leg.
- Yes, some of the things these companies do you can do for yourself for free. Okay, be honest, have you done these free things? Probably not. I don’t blame you. You *can* change your car oil, too, but do you really want to? More to the point, many of the things they do you can’t. Such as, internet surveillance for illegal use of your Id, SSAN, bank account, or credit card. Got the specialized software to do that? Not to mention the skill to use it or time to do it.
- Yes, these services cost money and you many never see a return on your outlay. Your car, health, and homeowners insurance cost money too, and you hope you never need or use them.
- Identity Guard is the most expensive at $15 bucks per month, then Lifelock at $10 bucks and lastly TrustedID at about $8 dollars. TrustedID also has a family plan for about $14 bucks per month…way cheap. Not everything good is free.
- Good news. At least Identity Guard and LifeLock provide a 30-day free trial period. Not sure about TrustedID.
Which company is best? Who knows. Here’s link to the Top Ten Review site. They break the companies down with individual analysis and side-by-side comparisons. It’s very useful. However, the internet abounds with information about these companies. I urge you do at least do some research. Weigh the risks versus the costs. Word of caution: Read the services offered carefully, they look similar, but are not necessarily the same.
- For example, all say they scan the internet for illegal use of your information. But, how frequently, and how deep? One company, Identify Guard, says they do it daily, while the others don’t specify. Does that mean they don’t scan daily, or do they just not say?
- Another example, all offer a free credit report. LifeLock and TrustedID simply send for the one to which you’re entitled annually at no cost. Neither has credit scores attached. Identity Guard gives you one per quarter that includes your history and credit scores.
- Last example, most offer some kind of financial guarantee if you become a victim while covered by their company. But, Lifelock makes their warranty contingent. To collect, the theft has to be “because of some failure or defect in our service.” They don’t say who makes that determination—I’ll bet it won’t be the victim. So, look closely at the details; they do matter.
Disregard dated information about a company setting fraud alerts for you…none can. A recent circuit court ruling disallowed that practice. You must set your own fraud alert with the credit bureau—though it may be a waste of time. I may post about fraud alerts on Wednesday, as that’s a topic unto itself.
In summary, If you’re gonna promote, and as authors we must, you’re increasing your chances of being found by the general public. At some level, you must believe that or you wouldn’t bother promoting. The general public is comprised of lots of good people. It also has its share of #@#$#%. The first group we want, the second not so much. Unfortunately, we can’t control who finds us, visits, and watches, but we can mitigate our risk from identity thieves.
Lastly…don’t let this frighten you. It’s reality. My aim is a convincing, educational post that provides you with information you may not have considered. Just be alert and take steps to protect yourself, it’s easy to do. Either tighten up your ID security yourself, or, hire someone to help you.
See you on Wednesday.
Themocracy
I have to admit I find identity theft terrifying as I’ve heard it can ruin your life for many years – and now learn it can even land you in jail! I haven’t thought about collecting all the tidbits available through different sources, but I think I may go back and change some of my profiles and check into some of the protection companies. Thanks for the eye-opener.
I agree this is a very real and scary problem. Thanks for the tips and advice on how best to try and stave off such a horrible thing. Jeez o pete – that guy that actually went to jail!
BTW, you create the most WONDERFUL graphics for you posts – nicely done, old boy.
The Old Silly
Scary stuff. My sister’s identity was stolen when someone got into her mailbox a couple of times. And my husband’s wallet was stolen and we have put blocks on our accounts. Sigh.
You’re so right…we’re all ‘out there.’ And we have to be careful.
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Thank you Galen for an informative post about a topic no one wants to think about! In this day and age you can’t be too careful.
Elspeth
I was just talking to my family about my blog and name being out there and having to be careful about what is revealed.
I have a shredder at home and anything with my name and address on it, goes into it.
Wow – I know identity theft is a very real and growing problem…but wow. Really makes you stop and think!
Nancy from Realms of Thought
It’s certainly something we all have to be aware of, especially if we’re blogging, tweeting, FaceBooking, commenting on other blogs, MySpacing or putting ourselves out on the web. If it happens to you, it’s a looong journey into a nightmare from which you may never be made whole. My brother in law has his identity stolen. Even though he found out who did it, it took years to straighten out and even then he had to change his name.
Helen
Straight From Hel
OK So you scared me. I hate the thought of someone doing that to me. My daughter and SIL signed up for that Identity Theft thing and like it.
Headed to Seattle tomorrow! Send some of your sunshine that way!
You put so much work into this post. What a load of information about a growing concern. I am going to have my husband read this. My daughter-in-law had her information stolen from a co-worker that had access to her files many years ago before she married my son, and they have never been able to repair her credit, (the person that stole her identity was a pro and did a real number on her social security number), so she isn’t even on their mortagage. Such a shame. And to think that the people that commit these crimes go unpunished is a worse crime! Thanks!
Really scary, Galen. I took a day off to digest it, and it is still a little scary. Nothing much we can do about it, except maybe have two sets of data for all of those questions – the real answer, and the answer used for all the secure transactions.
Thanks for yet another post that really makes one think.
[...] All this platform building could put your identity at risk! Very thorough post on ways to prevent this, as writers. [...]
Wow. Though I have to say, I’d feel kinda sorry for anyone who took the time and trouble to try to steal my identity. It wouldn’t do them a lot of good. It would do me a lot of good though. Here! Take my bills, please!
My solution will be to become rich and famous as soon as possible. Then my ‘people’ will handle all these little nagging problems for me.
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identity theft is rampant both in online and offline settings. better be careful~:.
identity theft is very common on the internet so be careful about phising sites”~’