Apr 29, 2013 - 37 States not Compliant with Real ID ACT

People send me articles, news stories and reports all the time.  Part of the fun (and, burden) of being socially connected is how quickly and easily information can flow to you.

I am going to start a semi-regular process of sharing some of the better stories on this blogsite. 

1. Only 13 of 50 states are compliant with Real ID Act.

The Real ID Act was passed in 2005, with the intent of bringing the nation's de-facto ID Card (e.g. - our state driver licenses) towards a common format with comparable security features and data.  The original deadline for this Act was 2008, but a consistent and steady set of extensions has enabled the majority of states to avoid coming into compliance.

2. Novelty Fake ID Cards Advertised By Shops in Canada

A CBC News investigation has found that a sophisticated fake ID market is openly thriving in Canada. For about $50, customers can buy an identity card of their choice from almost any Canadian province or U.S. state. The card can include a real home address from the chosen area.

3. Tax ID-Theft Season, 2013. Theft Just Keeps on Growing

Both the IRS and National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson, who is charged by Congress with protecting taxpayers' interests, agree that tax ID theft is one of the most serious problems facing the agency.

4. SEC And CFTC Issue Identity Theft Red Flags Rules

In a move that finally brings the world of equities traders up-to-par with the banking and financial services industry, the SEC finally issued rules requiring certain SEC and CFTC-regulated entities that offer or maintain "covered accounts" to establish programs to address risks of identity theft. The new SEC and CFTC rules are substantially similar to those issued by the FTC and banking regulators.

5.  Identity Theft: It's not just for grownups.

Imagine finding out that your eight-year-old has a house in foreclosure thousands of miles away. How about getting collection calls because your young teen is several payments behind on a car loan? These are not far-fetched scenarios.

6.  Identify theft is expected to surpass traditional theft as the leading form of property crime.

identity theft has become big business. The number of malicious programs written to steal your information has grown exponentially to an estimated 130 million from about 1 million in 2007, Hamilton said.

That's it.  Happy reading.