Stolen identities sold online for $120.

I recently read a somewhat shocking news article about the increasing problem of identity theft. Internet fraudsters and hackers are now buying and selling people’s identities like they are toys. You can find the article here:

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Stolen_identities_sold_online_for_%A380&in_article_id=405334&in_page_id=34

Considering the economic law of supply/demand, imagine how many stolen identities are out there if they are selling this cheap. If you don’t know what can happen to you if your identity gets stolen, just watch the movie ‘The Net’. Sure, it’s a movie, but why couldn’t it realistically ruin somebody’s life?

Unfortunately, most people are unaware of the dangers online and the relative simplicity involved in collecting someone’s personal information. If you shop or do banking online, it is absolutely imperative that you protect yourself with privacy software, anti spyware software, a firewall, antivirus software as well as maintaing a strict password policy - keeping them difficult to guess as well as changing them on a regular basis.