Experian, Ford, and Identity Theft

corebreech writes "The mighty New York Times (I think they might want you to register) is reporting that hackers posing as Ford employees have managed to pilfer some 13,000 credit reports (Quality is Job 1.) Supposedly the info isn't restricted to merely credit card numbers, but rather includes such delectable delights as address, SSN, bank account info and creditworthiness. Glad I take the subway." The original story was from the Boston Globe.

Comments

He got it wrong

[tshoppa]

From the NYT:

It just shows that today, even big companies can be victimized

No, it shows that every once in a while that the big companies will publicize that their security has been compromised. Of course, we all know that for every such case that makes the New York Times, there are thousands where they don't. And for every one of those, there are ten where the news of the security breach never leaves the company. And for every one of those there are probably a hundred where nobody at the company knows that they have gaping security holes.

Just In Case...

[LISNews]

www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fcra.htm here's an FTC FAQ on credit reports.
Experian , Transunion and Equifax are the big 3 for reports.

They didn't just crack Ford owners

[awharnly]

Read the article again. They didn't just steal the personal financial information of Ford owners.

Only 400 of the 13,000 victims were customers of Ford Credit, he said.

They just pretended to be Ford so that they could access the credit reports of thousands of people. Subway-riders included.

Guarding / checking against Identity Theft

[Seth Finkelstein]

This isn't in the NYT or Boston Globe articles, but it's good info from another story on the theft:

Experts urge consumers to check their credit file once a year. Call Experian at (888) 397-3742 for a credit report, and review it for an unauthorized inquiries.

Also, contact the remaining two credit bureaus, Equifax at (800) 685-1111 and Trans Union at (800) 916-8800.

Ford Credit said that it has reinforced the security of their credit inquiry access process to prevent future occurrences.

To contact Ford Credit with questions, call (888) 838-8176 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. CDT, Monday through Saturday.

Sig: What Happened To The Censorware Project (censorware.org)

national ID card

[kipple]

I'm sure that if there was a national ID card system they would have been caught immediately.

The bad news though,

[w.p.richardson]

If you can't document that you have been a victim of identity theft (or a similar type of crime), then you have to shell out about $10 per report. Thats $30 per year, simply to make sure someone isn't screwing you over. This seems ridiculous to me.

These credit bureaus have too much centralized data on citizens. They are a one stop shop for crooks, be they crackers or whatever.

IMPORTANT - Opt out

[Permission Denied]

(888) 567-8688

Call this telephone number. This number is maintained by the three credit reporting agencies and it allows you to "opt-out" of certain marketing games; basically, this means the three credit reporting agencies will no longer be allowed to give your credit report to marketers, but only to people with whom you actually have business.

Ford is a legitimate business; if you don't "opt-out," they can get a credit report on you. I opted out and I've never done business with Ford, so this story doesn't affect me.

Another nice thing about using this number to "opt-out": I no longer receive any junk mail. No more pre-approved credit cards, no more free offers, no more anything. I now look forward to checking my mail every day, as it only contains only bills and personal correspondence. I also say "put me on your do-not-call list" to telemarketers and I don't watch TV, so live in an almost completely ad-free world. It's a very nice world and I invite you in.