The recent hacking into the personal records of up to 780,000 people from the computer records of the Utah Department of Health which has recently been disclosed highlights a number of important concerns regarding identity theft. As banks have tightened their security, experienced hackers and identity thieves sucha s the Eastern European hackers that perpetrated the Utah information theft are turning to the weakest links with the most information to gather. Two of the prime targets which have not been maintaining high security standards are health care providers and credit card processors, such as Global Payments, which was recently hacked. Remember, you are only as secure as the places that have your information regardless of how much you protect yourself.
TIP
Regularly monitor your credit card and bank account activity to identify any breaches. Get your free annual credit report from the three major credit reporting agencies, as is your right under federal law and make sure that you check on the credit reports of your children. Many of the victims of the Utah hacking were children. Children are particularly vulnerable to identity theft because often the theft does not get recognized until many years have passed, such as when a child applies for financial aid for college.
