Friday, February 14, 2003

When Identity Theft And Child Porn Collide Two big problems online that are often discussed in separate ways are identity theft and child porn. Here's a story that combines them both, to tell about a school teacher who was arrested for child porn after his credit card was stolen and used to buy child porn. Luckily, the guy had already reported the problems with his card being stolen and the police found out who really had taken the card. However, as identity theft becomes a bigger and bigger problem, there will certainly be more cases like this - where someone completely innocent will be implicated in a crime. [Techdirt] The thought that my identity could be misused for more than financial gain is frightening. I had my identity stolen last year, and thankfully, the issuing credit company contacted me via postal mail to confirm the account. I immediately contacted them to report the fraud, and within weeks, the fraudulent account was closed and my credit history and identity were rescued. God help you if truly heinous crimes are committed in your name. My suggestion? Call all the credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on your accounts. That way, any time new credit is requested, the bureaus must contact you directly before approving the credit. It only lasts 6 months, but I think I'm going to keep them on forever. 9:59:36 AM