Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
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Stacey Butler reporting Statistics show every minute there's another victim of identity theft. It's the fastest growing crime in America. And in Utah, it could leave almost any one of us a victim.
Experts say one big reason is because information that could unlock your private finances is so easy to obtain over the internet.
The good news is, more peole are aware of the problem. A Survey USA poll taken Wednesday for KSL shows more than 85 percent of Utahns are concerned about becoming victims.
The bad news is, only about half of us -- 52 percent-- have taken precautions to protect ourselves in an age when almost "nothing is secret."
Log on...
Sign up...
And brace yourself.
Rep. Carlene Walker/ (R) Salt Lake City: "THIS IS MY OFFICE NUMBER, HOME NUMBER, MY FAX NUMBER."
Reporter: "THAT'S YOUR ADDRESS?"
Walker: "YES, THAT'S MY ADDRESS."
Information you thought was private---
Wendy: "THAT'S MY BIRTHDAY. THAT'S KIND OF SCARY."
Is out there for all eyes to see.
Dana Tumpowski/ SLC Library administrator: "THERE'S A LIST OF OUR NEIGHBORS, THEIR PHONE NUMBERS AND THEIR BIRTHDAYS. OH MY GOSH."
Just pick a website...
Rep. Carlene Walker: "THEY HAVE MY HISTORY HERE FOR THIRTY YEARS."
Plug in a name...
Carlene: "IS THAT YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY? WOW. THAT BLOWS ME AWAY."
Dana: "THAT'S MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. THAT'S FRIGHTENING."
Carrie Clark: "THAT'S KIND OF SCARY. THEY CAN JUST TAKE YOUR IDENTITY."
And that's exactly what happens to a half a million victims a year.
Though Congress is talking about it, there are no laws prohibiting the sale of your personal information online.
Detective Kelly Wuthrich, with the Utah Attorney General's Office, is overwhelmed with the explosion of i.d. theft cases, and the ease with your information can be accessed.
Kelly Wuthrich/ Utah Attorney General's Office: "I THINK A COMPUTER SAVVY PERSON WITH JUST YOUR NAME COULD FIND OUT A LOT OF INFORMATION, AND THEY'RE WELL ON THEIR WAY TO RIPPING YOU OFF."
Stacey Butler: "IN AN EYEWITNESS NEWS INVESTIGATION, WE FOUND NEARLY A DOZEN ONLINE SERVICES AVAILABLE TO BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS, WHERE YOU CAN PURCHASE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS, BIRTHDAYS, UNLISTED PHONE NUMBERS AND HOME ADDRESSES. SOME TOOK SEVERAL DAYS, OTHERS--SECONDS. IT'S NOT JUST A LITTLE INFORMATION, IT'S A MOTHER LODE OF PRIVATE FACTS AND FIGURES."
Kelly: "WHEN I WANT TO DO A BACKROUND CHECK ON A SUSPECT, SOMETIMES I'LL GO INTO GOOGLE AND GET ON SEARCH ENGINES AND TRY TO FIND INFORMATION THAT IS NOT READILY ACCESSIBLE TO ME THROUGH STATE RECORDS."
Earlier this year the AG's Office brought down one of the largest i.d. theft rings in Utah history.
In many cases, all the suspects had to go on was a victim's name and social security number.
Kelly: "THEY WERE ABLE TO ACCESS PEOPLE'S BANK ACCOUNTS, THEIR CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS."
Wendy: "I SHRED ALL PAPERS WITH MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER ON IT. I HAVE AN UNLISTED NUMBER. IT'S KIND OF SCARY THAT NO MATTER WHAT BLOCKS YOU PUT UP IT DOESN'T MATTER ANYMORE."
Keith Proctor: "I'VE WORKED HARD TO KEEP MY CREDIT GOOD, AND HERE SOMEBODY HAS ACCESS TO MY INFORMATION. I DON'T LIKE IT."
But like it or not, the information age is upon us.
Carlene: "WHERE DOES PEOPLE'S FREEDOM TO FIND INFORMATION STOP AND YOUR PRIVACY BEGIN?"
It's a question that has lawmakers in a quandary. Representative Carlene Walker recently sposored a bill to remove social security numbers from Utah insurance cards.
Carlene: "THAT'S MINOR COMPARED TO THE INFORMATION THAT YOU CAN ACCESS OFF OF ONE OF THESE INTERNET SITES."
A senate bill to prevent the sale of your social security number has been introduced to Congress several times but has yet to be passed into law.
Dana: "IT'S ONE OF THOSE FRIGHTENING BIG AREAS OUT THERE THAT YOU SAY, 'LET ME NOT THINK ABOUT THAT.'"
You might think that you can protect yourself by limiting the amount of personal information you give to financial institutions, and others. But the reality is, the information on you is already out there, so you need to look for warning signs that it is being misued.
Check your credit report up to twice a year. If you think you may have been victimized, place a fraud alert on your credit. That way you should be contacted anytime someone uses your credit.
You can do that by contacting the credit reporting agencies.
For those numbers and websites, and for more information on identity theft check the box above.
