| Someone recently told me, "You would have to | | | | agent has taken the form you filled out and |
| be a stupid to lose your personal information." | | | | submitted it for group health. It is submitted to |
| While I respectfully responded to this person in | | | | three different companies for underwriting. So |
| the moment, the comment has stuck with me. I | | | | now, the insurance agent and the insurance |
| present on Identity Theft all over the Western | | | | company has the information from you, the three |
| United States, and thought I would respond to | | | | companies supplying the insurance coverage have |
| this particular individual in writing. | | | | the information on you, AND all of the employees |
| There are multitudes of ways to lose your | | | | at all four points have access to the information. |
| personal information. You have undoubtedly heard | | | | Think about how many employees that might be. |
| of many of them. Fake web sites, data theft, | | | | That information is often then passed on to a |
| stealing people's trash, stealing people's outgoing | | | | data warehouse like ChoicePoint, and anyone who |
| mail, check fraud, etc., are just a few of the | | | | has access to ChoicePoint now has access to that |
| possibilities for loss of information. Job ads are | | | | information. Who has access to ChoicePoint? I |
| also being used for Identity Theft. ranks fake | | | | think with the recent news articles, the more |
| companies posing as real companies on their web | | | | appropriate question is, who doesn't have access |
| site among their biggest problems. | | | | to ChoicePoint? |
| So, to you who think that it could never happen | | | | The information is also submitted to your MIB |
| to you, you might want to read this next | | | | (Medical Information Bureau) file. Anyone who has |
| sentence twice. No matter how good you are, no | | | | access to the MIB files, now has access to all of |
| matter how vigilant, no matter how much you | | | | that information. Who has access to the Medical |
| shred or tear, no matter how many times you go | | | | Information Bureau records? Anyone, at any |
| to the post office so that you don't put outgoing | | | | hospital around the United States, who has even |
| mail in your home mailbox, regardless of how well | | | | a small amount of clearance, has access to the |
| you can hide in your home, there is no 100% | | | | Medical Information Bureau records. |
| effective defense against Identity Theft. Let me | | | | According to John Gardner, co-author or Chicken |
| say that again, in case you don't read it twice. | | | | Soup for the Entrepreneurial Soul, "This makes |
| There is NO 100% effective method to defend | | | | the Identity Theft Shield, along with a Pre-Paid |
| yourself against identity theft. | | | | Legal Services Membership, an absolute must for |
| Here's an example of why. Let's say you want to | | | | anyone that's breathing." |
| get health insurance, or auto insurance, or finance | | | | So to you, sir, who more or less said to me, |
| a car, etc. etc. etc. Let's say for purposes of this | | | | "You'd have to be stupid to become a victim of |
| example that you are trying to get health | | | | Identity Theft!" I wish you my best. If you want |
| insurance through your company. This is a | | | | to continue thinking that shredding your |
| relatively simple process, right? Fill out the form, | | | | information is going to protect you, then for you I |
| and wait to get the insurance cards in the mail. | | | | respectfully choose a phrase used by my friend |
| What you may not realize is that the insurance | | | | Larry Smith. "Sometimes, you just can't fix stupid. |