Fergie's Tech Blog

Security Fix: Web Fraud 2.0 - Data Search Tools for ID Thieves

Brian Krebs writes on Security Fix:

Data such as your Social Security number, mother's maiden name and credit card balance are not as difficult for ID thieves to find as most people think. I've recently learned that cyber crooks are providing cheap, instant access to detailed consumer databases, offering identity thieves the ability to find missing data as they compile dossiers on targeted individuals.

Security Fix spent the past week testing services offered by two Web sites that sell access to a wealth of information on consumers. Each site offers free registration, but requires users to fund their accounts via Webmoney, a PayPal-like virtual currency that is popular in Russia and Eastern Europe.

I enlisted the help of a half-dozen volunteers who agreed to let me try to find their personal and financial data on these sites. For a payment of $3 each, I was able to find full Social Security numbers on four of the volunteers, as well as their most recent street addresses and birthdays.

posted by Fergie @ 3/23/2009 11:24:00 AM