The govt. just made an arrest in the biggest identity theft in history. One guy all by himself got access to the big credit reporting agencies, like Equifax, etc., got credit reports and sold them on the street to people who used the information on them to get duplicate credit cards, access to ATM's, additional credit accounts, bank accounts, etc. and stole millions of dollars. Credit reporting agencies get information about you every day even without your permission and even when you have not requested credit. They get information that includes your social security number, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, employer, mortgage company, home address, and even your medical history. What is amazing is that the law allows companies to get a credit report without your permission. Every time you get one of those letters that say you have been pre-approved for credit, that company has gotten a credit report on you without your permission. We do not need vital records closed to the public. We need laws that protect us from credit reporting agencies! And prohibit businesses from getting credit reports on us without our written permission. Do you think Congress will ever pass laws like that? The state legislatures have rushed to "protect" us from identity theft by closing or restricting access to vital records when there has never been a case of identity theft by someone using vital records. Businesses get access to anything they want any time they want. Bette