CNN Hotels.com credit-card numbers stolen

"The names and credit-card numbers of 243,000 Hotels.com customers were on a laptop computer stolen from an employee of accounting firm Ernst & Young, according to sources familiar with the matter."

"The theft occurred in February, according to news reports, but Ernst & Young only recently was able to determine what was on the computer's hard drive."

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse A Chronology of Data Breaches Reported Since the ChoicePoint Incident

" The data breaches noted below have been reported because the personal information compromised includes data elements useful to identity thieves, such as Social Security numbers, account numbers, and driver's license numbers. A few breaches that do NOT expose such sensitive information have been included in order to underscore the variety and frequency of data breaches. However, we have not included the number of individuals affected in such breaches in the total because we want this compilation to reflect breaches that expose individuals to identity theft as well as breaches that qualify for disclosure under state laws."

"This chronology below begins with ChoicePoint's 2/15/05 announcement of its data breaches because it was a watershed event in terms of disclosure to the affected individuals. Since then, the "best practice" has been to disclose breaches to individuals nationwide -- in a sense, adopting California's notice requirement nationally."

redux [05.31.06]
The New York Times Technology and Easy Credit Give Identity Thieves an Edge
[requires 'free' registration]

"In an economy that runs increasingly on the instantaneous flow of information and credit — aggressively promoted by banks and credit card companies despite the risks — Phoenix and its surrounding area provide a window on one of the system's unintended consequences.

According to a Federal Trade Commission survey in 2003, about 10 million Americans — 1 in 30 — had their identities stolen in the previous year, with losses to the economy of $48 billion. Subsequent surveys, by Javelin Strategy and Research, a private research company, found that the number of victims had declined to nine million last year but that the losses had risen to $56.6 billion."

KSL.Com Child ID Theft a Big Problem

"It's a fast growing crime that affects all of us, including children. One Utah mother recently found that out when her daughter's identity was stolen.

It happens more than parents may realize. Lynnette Weed's daughter is sharing her identity with someone else. She may be only five-years old, but clearing her name has become a frustrating feat."

TMCNet Veterans not the only, or even easiest, targets of identity theft

"Veterans understandably are a little nervous after the apparent heist of 26.5 million Department of Veterans Affairs records from the home of a federal employee earlier this month.

But it turns out the vets have plenty of company."

"[Millions] of names and Social Security numbers are in danger of being scooped up each year, unbeknown to the individuals they belong to. About 50 million records kept by universities, financial institutions, government agencies and other sources were compromised last year in a fashion similar to what happened with the VA database, said Michael Stanfield, chairman and CEO of Intersections Inc., a Virginia-based data monitoring firm."

WFAA.Com Do you need ID theft insurance?

"With all the publicity surrounding it, many Americans are considering identity theft insurance to protect themselves from potentially disastrous consequences, including a reduced credit rating."

" Identity theft insurance typically costs about $600 a year as an add-on to your homeowners' insurance policy.

But security experts urge consumers to use caution before making such an investment."

Money Are you terrified about identity theft yet? If not, consider this: It could get you killed.

"As you've read these past few months, identity theft is becoming a huge problem, netting more than $50 billion annually for the crooks and leaving the victims with no end of headaches. With enough information about you, a criminal can get credit cards, cell phones, apartments and, yes, even medical care in your name, leaving you to deal with the collectors and credit bureaus when the perp skips on the bills. Not surprisingly, financial companies, including big names like American Express, Chase, Citi, Discover and MBNA, see opportunities in the hysteria over this, and they're hawking services designed to protect you from the threat. A few of them might be useful for some folks. But before you shell out one thin dime, take a deep breath and try to understand what the real risks are--and what's just lurid hype."