"Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:t9uCb.328993$Dw6.1107274@attbi_s02...
We all know the problem with our pilot license numbers. The
name and address of a pilot, his SS number and the exact N-number,
serial number, and address of his airplane, a very valuable tangible
asset, might make easy picking for an identity thief. Am I being
overly cautious, yes.

You know, I hear this ALL THE TIME -- yet, I've never met a single person
who has actually suffered from "identity theft".

As you all know, I use my real name, my real address, my real email address
(well, mostly), and the real name of my business -- thus far, with minimal
hassle. Am I being stupid? Dunno -- but I simply can't bring myself to hide
behind a phony name.

I *really* enjoy the new Visa commercials, with the guy's voice-over on the
little old lady -- they're hilarious and really get the point across about
the risks of identity theft. However, they *are* trying to sell a product,
and (as a result) the cynic in me rises to the fore. I just have to wonder
if this whole "identity theft" thing isn't a product of Madison Avenue, once
again trying to fan the flames of our own paranoia, in an effort to sell us
something?

Does anyone know a real person who has suffered this fate?

I've just opened an E-Trade Bank account in your name. It took me 3
minutes. Don't worry, tomorrow I'll close it, I'm one of the good
guys, but in the meantime I could have used that to get a small limit,
secured visa card, and that would establish a mail drop as one of your
legit addresses.

In a month or so, I'd apply for half a dozen credit cards with your
name and ssn, but my mail drop address. I'd use them to buy high
value stuff, like gold, that's easy to sell for cash. Or get a quick
$10k personal loan from Cash Call. I wouldn't buy a car, they're too
easy to trace and you can't get real cash out of them. I might buy an
airplane, fly it down to South America and sell it for 25 cents on the
dollar.

I'm not kidding about the E-Trade account. Check your credit report
in a month, it will be there. I used your real ssn and birthday.

Your SSN and your wife's SSN added together is 792288289

20 years ago you lived at 1562 30th Ave. Apt. 2D, your phone number
was 554-0990. Your wife was living at 2595 N Cramer St, her phone
number was 962-8821. Her name was Udulutch. She was born in June,
1960, in the second week of the month.

You have a business. Your credit is pretty good. If you are in the
open you're a target. You should be checking your credit reports
every 3 months.

WAKE UP!!!! Don't be an idiot. There are 700,000-900,000 cases of
identity theft per year, growing at about 25% per year. Do you know
anyone that's been killed by a drunk driver? Probably not. There are
only 15,000 people killed per year by drunk drivers. That doesn't
mean it's not going to happen.