Beware of ID theft, U.S. Postal Service warns

[dArKeR]

 If identity theft hasn’t gotten your attention yet, it probably will the next time you go to the post office. The U.S. Postal Inspector’s Office launched an aggressive consumer awareness program this week aimed at preventing the crime. The campaign features “Law & Order” star Jerry Orbach, himself a victim of identity theft, as a poster child for victims. “If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone,” says Orbach, in posters that began appearing in all 38,000 post offices this week.

THE IDENTITY THEFT CRISIS has been brewing for years, but attention has been sharply focused on the issue during recent months, with the release of three studies that suggest the problem is much bigger than originally estimated. The Federal Trade Commission estimated in its study that 10 million people were victims last year.
       The FTC study indicated that only 4 percent of ID theft begins with stolen mail — a bit of a surprise, since much of the talk about the crime has long focused on pre-approved credit card applications that sit in mailboxes and are an easy mark for identity thieves. Nevertheless, the post office is a central player in nearly every identity theft, says spokeswoman Linda Walker.

http://msnbc.com/news/967449.asp?0cv=CB20

So nothings been done on this front to protect us since 9/11!

[liberalmuse]

1. What is it with this?

Last week a little old lady from the Mormon church stopped at my door and gave me a flyer, complete with a picture of a robber on it. Apparently their 'Relief Society' was having a sheriff speak on identity theft. Then I get a call from my credit card company last night warning me that identity theft is rampant, and to prevent it, I should pay them 10 bucks a month extra. I'm sick of the fear mongering in this society.