U.S. Federal Trade Commission Issues its Report on Identity Theft and Use of Social Security Numbers

X-No-archive: yes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Come to the
27th IAJGS International Conference
on Jewish Genealogy
Salt Lake City July 15-20, 2007 www.slc2007.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has just issued its report on Identity Theft which incorporates recommendations that effect the use of Social Security Numbers: to federal agencies, state and local governments' use of Social Security Numbers, addressing private sector use of Social Security Numbers and establishing a clearinghouse for "best" agency practices for using Social Security Numbers among
other recommendations. The 120 page report,including executive summary may be
accessed at: http://www.idtheft.gov/reports/StrategicPlan.pdf. There is also a 90 page supplement which lists the remedies the FTC is proposing addressing a number of acts that effect identity theft. http://www.idtheft.gov/reports/VolumeII.pdf

The IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee (PRAMC) submitted a written statement in January stating while we support the efforts to protect Americans from identity theft we also stated we wanted the Task Force to permit continued access to death certificates and other necessary records which do not negatively impact the desire or need to protect the lives of the living. The cogent part of the IAJGS statement is:

" The genealogical community relies on the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for using social security numbers in order to obtain death certificates and other records, including military records and probate records, of deceased US residents and citizens. These records may include a deceased’s person’s Social Security number. In addition to genealogists, historians, social scientists and medical researchers rely on access to records that may include a deceased’s social security
number.

Genealogy is not only a hobby of millions of people, it assists in tracing family medical problems that are passed on from generation to generation, and these records are required in order to help determine certain genetic traits that ancestors may have also had. A 2005 poll performed by Market Strategies, Inc. and
Generations Network.com (formerly known as MyFamily.com) shows 73 percent of Americans are interested in discovering their family history. As genealogists and family historians, we want to assure continued access to copies of records of deceased individuals that include Social Security numbers.

We respectfully bring to your attention that the use of the Social Security Death Index may be used as a deterrent against identity theft, as a tool to check if someone using a Social Security number is in fact using a deceased’s social security number fraudulently. Using the SSDI as a preventative tool against fraudulent use of a deceased’s Social Security number would negate the need to prohibit access to records with a deceased’s Social Security number. Therefore, the Identity Theft Task Force should permit the continued access to death certificates and other necessary records which does not negatively impact the desire or need to protect the lives of the living."

Jan Meisels Allen, director and
Chairperson, Public Records Access Monitoring Committee
---
Sender: "jan meisels allen" <janmallen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thinking of visiting your ancestral shtetls?
Let JewishGen ShtetlSchleppers® take you there!
http://www.jewishgen.org/ShtetlSchleppers/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sign up for the JGFFAlert!
http://www.jewishgen.org/jgff/FAQ/#q3.7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join our mailing list at http://lyris.jewishgen.org/listmanager if you
would like the convenience of receiving all soc.genealogy.jewish posts in
your mailbox, instead of having to search for them in the newsgroup, whose
go to < http://lyris.jewishgen.org/ListManager >.





.

Relevant Pages

  • Social Security Number Access Being Eyed
    ... NEW YORK -- Recent disclosures of massive data leaks at ... banks and retailers have prompted Congress to ... once again consider tightening access to Social Security numbers, ... Several identity theft watchdogs say the bills would neglect the ...
    (comp.dcom.telecom)
  • ID Theft Task Force Urges Tough Penalties
    ... agencies on Monday to help protect consumers by ceasing unnecessary ... The identity theft prevention task force, ... Social Security cards and birth certificates to illegal ...
    (comp.dcom.telecom)
  • Re: OT OPrivacy for the Dead
    ... I was armed with my own ID papers and my parents' death certificates so that I could prove I was my aunt's next of kin. ... All I wanted was the name of the funeral home that Social Security sent the death benefit to. ... Is this stupid government at its finest? ...
    (rec.outdoors.rv-travel)
  • My Social Security number is 457-55-5462 says Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock. Or SOCIALIST SLAV
    ... LifeLock. ... he's so sure he can stop identity theft, ... advertising his Social Security number. ... security exists because social security card numbers exist. ...
    (talk.politics.libertarian)
  • Legislation aims to end identity theft
    ... Legislation aims to end identity theft ... government agencies to notify people if personal information is lost ... another in May 2006 involving birth dates and Social Security numbers ...
    (comp.dcom.telecom)