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I think the results of stolen info are blown out of proportion and those pay for protection plans are another waste of money. I've had cards compromised. CC deals with it, not me.
As for your SS number... Stop giving it out. Aside from banks or government offices, where are you leaving it? Doctors? I've never given them my SS number (not on Medicare yet).
People just have to be more careful with their info and use good businesses (CC, banks, etc). I have relationships with banks and CC dating back a decade plus. I ever have a problem, including waiving missed payment fees, I've never not had them fix it immediately.
I think the results of stolen info are blown out of proportion. I've had cards compromised. CC deals with it, not me.
As for your SS number... Stop giving it out. Aside from banks or government offices, where are you leaving it? Doctors? I've never given them my SS number (not on Medicare yet).
A stolen credit card isn't a big deal. Call the CC company, void the charges, issue a new card with a different number.
But that isn't the same thing as identity theft. The consequences of identity theft can be significant.
A test was done a couple of years ago by a govt agency and it involved mid year tax returns.....
And the ruling was....
It was cheaper time wise, manpower wise and money wise to just process them and send out the money...
Then the computer system for the IRS sucks, it shouldn't cost anything for a computer to automatically cross reference the social security number on every return with the name on record and whether it was used for other tax returns. It would cost something to write a computer program, but an instant response isn't required. When you log on a system like amazon, they need to be able to access your account and respond to your request very quickly because your waiting for an answer. Since they are handling thousands of requests at any given time, this involves a complicated computer network of load balancers, application servers, replicated databases, which gets very expensive. Since the IRS doesn't respond to you request for a return for days if not weeks, they can do batch processing, which is a lot less complicated to set up.
Last edited by TechGromit; 11-24-2014 at 06:32 AM..
I get what you are saying, but I only exclaim that the "government" should be providing secure protection because they are the ones that FORCE us to have Social Security Numbers, which are now required on everything from Hospital Services forms, Job Applications, Cell Phone contracts, etc.
Wouldn't it be nice if our SS Cards had a picture? They could do a credit check on you and have a database to match your face to the ID you provide.
By the end of 2015, many of our credit cards will have a chip in them, and transactions will be handled like they are in Europe. Your waiter will ring your card at the table instead of taking it back to the register, out of sight.
Not true.
The reason they do it in Europe is due to Chip + Pin
I get what you are saying, but I only exclaim that the "government" should be providing secure protection because they are the ones that FORCE us to have Social Security Numbers, which are now required on everything from Hospital Services forms, Job Applications, Cell Phone contracts, etc.
First, those are private entities, not governmental and most (if not all) of those will take an ITIN in lieu of a SSN. Second, the government does not require you to get a SSN, but if you want money from the government you usually have to sign up for a SSN. Most people sign their kids up upon birth so that they can claim a deduction and get the child tax credits, but that is also optional. The only other area that requires a SSN is if you want a license (ex: Series 7, medical license, law license, etc.).
I was a victim of identity theft. He got me good to. Got a ticket in another town that I can't get to and now my licence is suspended (I never had a license to begin with). Can't own a gun either until it's taken care of. I guess owing for a ticket is just as bad as being a murderer. Oh well, there's always the bus.
The government only exists to protect corporations. One doesn't have to do much research to discover that. If something happens to you it takes the media being on your side and an act of God to get it fixed. If something happens to a corporation the courts immediately respond and Congress passes a bill the next day protecting said Corporation.
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