You have some good points Ron, but I think you extrapolate a bit far with regard to the closing of public records. There is a BIG difference from NOT showing birthdates and mother's maiden name, etc online and still making it available in the local jurisdiction WHILE the person is still alive for people with a reason/right to know. I think a person is entitled some privacy....While I loved having access to all those birthdays and info, at the same time I did not like mine showing up...hypocritical I realize. Anymore than when one signs up for a class with our local Recreation Department, they print your age on the class list....why? No good reason for adults....it is to be able to sort children into the right age teams. But I think it is stupid and an invasion of my privacy....I will tell folks when I want them to know old I am....I don't need the whole class at the Rec Dept to know. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron Bestrom" <RBestrom@earthlink.net> To: <minnesota@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:37 AM Subject: [MINNESOTA] Identity Theft >I held back... but, you can't get much information for identity theft from > genealogy. You can find someone that indicates who they are and they will > be back in the old country for a week, just add their address and you > might > have a burglary. > > Most identity theft are family and/or friends. I also could get more from > your garbage or mail than you could ever get from genealogy. If I have > your > date of birth and address, that won't get me much. I still need to know > where you bank or have financial documents. If I get your medical data, > then I could possibly get some of your medical insurance to pay for my > problems. I STILL need your Social Security Number for a lot of access. > I > still need your drivers license info. Yes, I can make a fraudulent > license > with your name, address and DOB, but... > > I was in federal law enforcement as a Special Agent for 31 years. If you > want to protect yourself, get a computer firewall. Get a paper shredder > and > shred all documents that have your bank account or other financial > information. Get a mail box that requires you to use a key to get it, or > a > USPS mail box. Do not advertise that you are going to Norway between June > 14 and July 5. Someone could find out where you live and see just who > might > take care of your house and when they're gone. > > I saw more Identity theft from bank employees than common strangers. I > saw > more IRS employees accessing friends and family. These same IRS employees > had your SSN, home address and bank account where you had your refund > check > sent. But, these one percent dishonest were being tracked. Your local > grocery or other store, had your check...does it have your address and > phone > number and bank account number... Do you shred your papers or just put > them > in the garbage? For a "secret password question", do you use your mothers > maiden name? If so, stop doing that...BUT, unless they know more about > you, > even that isn't enough. > > I could give you my date of birth and address...RIGHT NOW, just try to > open > a credit card account with that. Add my mothers maiden name...so what. > You > need my Social Security Number. You probably will need my phone number. > So, you use a fictious address, but, I've put a lock on new accounts. > > No, an ancestors date of birth, or even a living persons date of birth is > not enough. > > ON THE OTHER HAND. We now live in a free society. If we start withholding > information for genealogy. Then let's withhold anyone from accessing > genealogy records. If you're not a family member and can prove it, you > can't access the information. You can not access the phone number or > address of another. We will need to hold ALL personal information from > the > internet. Then, we will stop allowing people to access any public records > at any local, state or federal level. We will not allow ANYONE to access > ANY information on ANYONE. This starts an iron curtain (an old phrase for > the Soviet Empire) on information. Soon, we will not be able to look at > our > neighbors property without fear of violating personal privacy laws. Who > will watch this? EVERYONE will be watching EVERYONE. Fear causes fear, > which causes fear. "What we have to fear is fear itself". > > Ron Bestrom > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MINNESOTA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

----- Original Message ----- From: "Karen Helfert" <khelfert1@comcast.net> > There is a BIG difference from NOT showing birthdates and mother's maiden > name, etc > online and still making it available in the local jurisdiction WHILE the > person is still alive > for people with a reason/right to know. Most Identity Theft is from the local area of the victim. A large percentage are friends and family, caretakers..see below, indicates 19.5 percent. Again, knowing someone's DOB, Mother's maiden, POB, is not enough. And, knowing genealogy information on ancestors is not enough. I CAN NOT get a credit card in Great-grandfathers name when he died in the twenties. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/03/ssntestimony.htm http://www.bos.frb.org/consumer/identity/idtheft.htm http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/idtheft/trends-update_2000.pdf http://www.privacyrights.org/AR/id_theft.htm

Well . . . I can just see it now . . . all of the newspapers will also disappear from the historical museums all over the country . . . why? Because most births are listed in those newspapers . . . ----- Original Message ----- From: "Karen Helfert" <khelfert1@comcast.net> To: <minnesota@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 9:35 AM Subject: Re: [MINNESOTA] Identity Theft/public records > You have some good points Ron, but I think you extrapolate a bit far with > regard to the closing of public records. There is a BIG difference from > NOT > showing birthdates and mother's maiden name, etc online and still making > it > available in the local jurisdiction WHILE the person is still alive for > people with a reason/right to know. > > I think a person is entitled some privacy....While I loved having access > to > all those birthdays and info, at the same time I did not like mine showing > up...hypocritical I realize. Anymore than when one signs up for a class > with our local Recreation Department, they print your age on the class > list....why? No good reason for adults....it is to be able to sort > children > into the right age teams. But I think it is stupid and an invasion of my > privacy....I will tell folks when I want them to know old I am....I don't > need the whole class at the Rec Dept to know. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ron Bestrom" <RBestrom@earthlink.net> > To: <minnesota@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:37 AM > Subject: [MINNESOTA] Identity Theft > > >>I held back... but, you can't get much information for identity theft from >> genealogy. You can find someone that indicates who they are and they >> will >> be back in the old country for a week, just add their address and you >> might >> have a burglary. >> >> Most identity theft are family and/or friends. I also could get more >> from >> your garbage or mail than you could ever get from genealogy. If I have >> your >> date of birth and address, that won't get me much. I still need to know >> where you bank or have financial documents. If I get your medical data, >> then I could possibly get some of your medical insurance to pay for my >> problems. I STILL need your Social Security Number for a lot of access. >> I >> still need your drivers license info. Yes, I can make a fraudulent >> license >> with your name, address and DOB, but... >> >> I was in federal law enforcement as a Special Agent for 31 years. If you >> want to protect yourself, get a computer firewall. Get a paper shredder >> and >> shred all documents that have your bank account or other financial >> information. Get a mail box that requires you to use a key to get it, or >> a >> USPS mail box. Do not advertise that you are going to Norway between >> June >> 14 and July 5. Someone could find out where you live and see just who >> might >> take care of your house and when they're gone. >> >> I saw more Identity theft from bank employees than common strangers. I >> saw >> more IRS employees accessing friends and family. These same IRS >> employees >> had your SSN, home address and bank account where you had your refund >> check >> sent. But, these one percent dishonest were being tracked. Your local >> grocery or other store, had your check...does it have your address and >> phone >> number and bank account number... Do you shred your papers or just put >> them >> in the garbage? For a "secret password question", do you use your >> mothers >> maiden name? If so, stop doing that...BUT, unless they know more about >> you, >> even that isn't enough. >> >> I could give you my date of birth and address...RIGHT NOW, just try to >> open >> a credit card account with that. Add my mothers maiden name...so what. >> You >> need my Social Security Number. You probably will need my phone number. >> So, you use a fictious address, but, I've put a lock on new accounts. >> >> No, an ancestors date of birth, or even a living persons date of birth is >> not enough. >> >> ON THE OTHER HAND. We now live in a free society. If we start >> withholding >> information for genealogy. Then let's withhold anyone from accessing >> genealogy records. If you're not a family member and can prove it, you >> can't access the information. You can not access the phone number or >> address of another. We will need to hold ALL personal information from >> the >> internet. Then, we will stop allowing people to access any public >> records >> at any local, state or federal level. We will not allow ANYONE to access >> ANY information on ANYONE. This starts an iron curtain (an old phrase >> for >> the Soviet Empire) on information. Soon, we will not be able to look at >> our >> neighbors property without fear of violating personal privacy laws. Who >> will watch this? EVERYONE will be watching EVERYONE. Fear causes fear, >> which causes fear. "What we have to fear is fear itself". >> >> Ron Bestrom >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> MINNESOTA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MINNESOTA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >