Re:Identity Theft Shield Could've Helped ChoicePoi (Score 1)

I totally agree, businesses do ask for more information than necessary, and they have for quite a long period of time. Identity Theft has reached epidemic proportions since the 90's, but this is a crime that has always been with us. In fact the branches of the government couldn't routinely function without hijacking IDs. They call it the "witness protection program." That's one of the reasons this crime was basically a slap to the wrist type of punishment, because most people using another person's information (whether living or dead) did so in order to hide-out and wouldn't DREAM of committing a crime or doing anything else to draw attention to themselves.

They used to publish books on how to vanish without a trace. Think of all the abused women who would flee in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes on their backs - We have countless people living under assumed Identities for their own safety, but as with all things the information got to the wrong people & it spread like a virus.

I personally think the spread of IDT became more prevasive with better graphics programs, scanners, and printers - because now you could reproduce flawless documents without the risk of exposure.