We recently invited our circle of businesses contacts to provide a critique on our revamped website, www.JCampana.com. One characterized a few of the dynamic images displayed on our home page as "disturbing." These were images of the 9-11 terrorist attack.
"What does toppling towers and foreigners scaling border walls have to do with information security, privacy, and identity theft?"
Terrorists, illegal immigrants, and other criminals often hide behind assumed identities -- identities of real people like you and me. The 19 terrorists who flew the planes on 9-11 had 368 separate identities or about 20 apiece. Most of the estimated 20+ million illegal immigrants in this country are here to work. Most employers require a social security number (SSN) to abide with laws. How do illegals get a SSN? They buy stolen identification through the identity theft underworld.
Both businesses and consumers facilitate terrorism, unlawful employment, and many other crimes when they do not protect the personally identifiable information (PII) they possess. An ethical business is expected to take steps to curb terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal immigration by putting a crimp on identity theft by protecting PII.
It's not just about curbing the crimes. It's also about being responsible to employees and consumers who entrusted their PII to businesses. When PII is used by criminals, the victims suffer financial and emotional losses as well as loss of liberty. The victim of a stolen identity that gets placed on a government "watch list "will be inconvenienced during travel by being detained by Homeland Security or by Immigration officials. Imagine being detained, unable to board your flight, or unable to reenter the U.S. due to mistaken identity. Criminals with false identities create a character morass for the victim. Afterwards the victim may be mistakenly detained and arrested by local or federal law enforcement based on arrest records of the identity thief or through records of the thief's illegal activities that trace back to the victim's identity.
One thing leads to another. When an illegal uses a victim's PII to obtain employment, employment and tax records are created in the victim's name. This can lead to employment records that later haunt the victim as well as additional state and federal tax liability. Now that the illegal has a job, they desire to drive, and purchase and insure a vehicle. A driver's license is issued, credit is extended, and insurance is obtained -- all in the victim's name. The illegal needs a place to live, and housing is obtained in the victim's name. When medical services are needed, the illegal checks in using the victim's PII, and medical records are created in the victim's name.
Now the illegal gets fired, doesn't file taxes, is charged with DWI, defaults on loans and credit cards debt, get's evicted, is determined to be HIV positive, and robs a convenience store. The web of identity misuse and victimization continues to weave.
The victim's nightmare begins. Victims suffer large financial losses, emotional stress, loss of liberty, and years of time and effort to try to regain their good name.
Disturbing? Yes. We want businesses and consumers to understand that identity theft is not about funny credit card commercials and Hollywood drama. It's about the thousands who lost their lives in 9-11; it's about the 20+ million illegals that need social security numbers to work and live; and it's about the 15 million people like you and me who were victimized last year.
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