Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) on Thursday said it was filing 117 lawsuits against unknown Internet site operators it charged were engaged in "phishing" schemes to obtain personal and financial information from unsuspecting consumers.Kind of a fart in a whirlwind, but here's hoping it does some good.
Having been a victim of identity theft (not from phishing), I know how big of a pain in the ass it is to get cleaned up. YOU are responsible for any charges.
For instance - I don't know about anyone else, but I get probably twenty to thirty pieces of junk mail a week wanting to offer me credit somewhere. All I would have to do is fill in the blanks. My address to get the new card, your name, SSN, etc. No ID, no proof, and if necessary maybe a little manipulation with some whiteout (these apps are read by machinery not humans), and I'm on my way to Mexico.
So let's say a credit account gets opened by me in your name. Currently, it isn't the responsibility of the business to verify who really filled in the app. The app was probably generated from a mailing list, so the company is sure they have all the required information. They run a credit report on the name and give the money away. You don't get called, and the information isn't verified in any other way.
"What about the address?" you say. Well, they assume you've moved.
We need to make it as hard for people to use someone else's information to defraud as it is for us to clear our own names when it has happened. The only way to do that now, is to take precautions.
Until penalties stiffen or at least get enforced, all you can do is hope for the best.
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