In article <[email protected]>, Doc Miller <[email protected]> wrote: :> For the few lame institutions that still ask that question (and city :> of birth) I always provide the same bogus answer. That way nobody :> can figure it out even if they know the actual information about my :> history. :> :> I felt pretty paranoid 10 years ago when I started doing but now it :> seems strange not to do it. The onus should be on the institution and :> not the customer. :> :> -Doc :> :> On Wed, 24 Dec 2003 01:31:58 +0800, Dan Jacobson <[email protected]> :> appears to have written: :> :> >How does one mention ones family tree publicly without endangering :> >them and oneself of Mothers Maiden Name Theft? :> > :> >I suppose we must not mention who our parents or kids are on :> >web pages, as all it would take is right two pages to revival the :> >precious Mothers Maiden Name. :> If people would bother to do some reasonable checking, they would discover that having a mother's maiden name readily obtainable is not a great risk factor in identity theft. Instead, the single greatest contributor is the abuse and misuse of an individual's Social Security Number. It's been adopted as a driver's license number in some states, while still others developed the nasty habit of placing it on the face of the license (happily, Alabama has now begun "allowing" drivers to eliminate it from the license at renewal). It's been selected by many health insurance providers as a contract or policy number. It's being used for "identification" purposes in school systems across the nation. The simple fact is that this one item alone contributes to more identity theft than any other fact about an individual. If you haven't been a victim, it could be just a matter of time...and it's not pleasant. = Steve = -- Steve W. Jackson Montgomery, Alabama