Identity Theft Exposure

:eek WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF:

Your place of employment, to include:
Company
Division
Your Name
Your Title
Annual Salary were available openly on the internet?

:duck WHAT WOULD BE THE VULNERABILITY:

If the above type information were public to anyone in the world:
How much of a potential threat could it be?

Bitzy

 

If it was a "Publicly Traded" company, that info has to be made available to the Share Holders, and if it is the Government that info is available via "Freedom of Information"..............don't really see any "Vulnerability" to the Employee though...............Now your SS#, Drivers Lic#, Bank Account# different story

 

If I had waivered the right of privacy - nothing I could say.
If there was no right for this private information to be made public according to the Privacy Act (breach) to mention only one legislation - that company/person in breach had better have a good lawyer.

Vulnerability: Opens up to identity fraud which is a national and global threat to the security of nations and their citizens, the economy, and global commerce, as it facilitates a wide range of crimes and terrorism.

Identity fraud is a component of almost every major crime. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that the importance of identity authentication is recognised whenever the potential result of misidentification is the commission or perpetuation of criminal activity.

 

A friend of mine makes a hobby out of running people traces - those things can help him find more and more information out about a person - through for example phone calls to people related to you (say, a bank or one of your businesses clients or suppliers), they can aid in getting home addresses, telephone numbers, other members of your family (spouse, children, parents) and their relation to everything.

Let me put it this way. This guy can track down a person (with a full portfolio of details) given a reletively anonymous email address. If he can do it, then no doubt a fraudster could do it too. Information by itself isn't the problem - it's how each piece of information links together with the others. That's how you trace and expose someone. If i told you I have an aunt called Jill that wouldn't help, but if i said i had an aunt called jill and her sister lives in Manchester - then you could start to narrow it down.

 

(Sorry for the delay...!)

Great responses everyone! Interesting read and some very good points were made. Some good fuel for thought and arguement. Thanks...............! :wave

Bitzy

 

Down here (and I expect in other countries), you can have a "silent number" which is not listed and cannot be tracked (unless by a govt agency eg Police, and dependent on situation/circumstance may need a court order). Unless people are careless in maintaining their phone/internet environment or with their trash and just throw out bills or other documents which contain an incredible amount of personal data. (Yes....garbage bin raiding isn't just something you see in movies when trying to get info about someone.) That's why good shredders are so popular on the market.

Finding people as you mentioned means cooperation of people with information who can provide leads. However, the legal issue of privacy can still arise and the seeker should tread carefully.

The Australian Crimes Commission works through and with different agencies (government and private) that successfully track down sources that violate privacy of others where there are opportunities of fraudulent use of information. Honest trackers for legit reasons (eg Executor trying to find a beneficiary in a Will) still would need to go through channels and validations when trying to find someone here or overseas if there isn't that family/friend whereabouts knowledge readily available.