ID Theft Threats to Watch in 2010

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Interview with Jay Foley of the Identity Theft Resource Center

Financial scams and incidents of medical identity theft are on the rise - and they're among the main threats to business and consumers in 2010.

This is the warning from Jay Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center. In an exclusive interview, Foley discusses:

Responding to an explosive rise in identity theft crimes, Jay and Linda Foley established the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) in 1999 in order to provide education and victim assistance to consumers and businesses. As Executive Director of the ITRC, Jay is today recognized nationally as an expert on identity theft issues.

Frequently addressing national, state and community organizations, Jay travels throughout the United States providing training for businesses, consumers and law enforcement. He has appeared before state legislatures and in Congress recommending new laws to protect against the crime of identity theft and he is a regular on San Diego news programs.

TOM FIELD: Hi, this is Tom Field, Editorial Director with Information Security Media Group. We are talking today with Jay Foley, Executive Director of the Identity Theft Resource Center. Jay, thanks so much for joining me.

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JAY FOLEY: Thanks for having me on Tom.

FIELD: Jay, for people that haven't encountered the ITRC before, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and the organization please.

FOLEY: Well, the Identity Theft Resource Center is a non-profit group. We operate out of San Diego, California. And what we do is we assist victims of identity theft all across the United States. In fact, right now we are actually working around the world with U.S. citizens who are in foreign countries dealing with identity theft issues here in the U.S.

FIELD: Jay, what have been the dominant identity theft stories that you have dealt with in 2009?

FOLEY: Well, the biggest stories have had to focus around the activities of Mr. Albert Gonzales, who was responsible for the Heartland Security Breach. The fact that he stole over 130 million credit cards and debit cards has made a lot of people nervous. The next story after that would probably have to do with the medical records. The number of various medical facilities out there that have personally identifiable information that has just gone missing or is not being considered as a problem because, 'oh gee, your personal information went astray, but your diagnosis didn't, so it is not a breach,' when in fact, if either go astray it is a breach.

FIELD: Now Jay, you have got new research out about the trends as we look into 2010. Just to give our audience a bit of a teaser, what do you see as the major trends of the New Year?

FOLEY: Well, first and foremost we are going to see a lot more scams. Because of the tough economic times, we are seeing a lot of scammers come out of the woodwork and try to suck you into this quick job, that quick job, here make a little extra money, and invariably what happens is you find yourself on the hook for greater debt and greater problems because you went to work with these scammers.

Other things that we are seeing out there is that we are going to see an increase in medical identity theft. A lot more people are having trouble making ends meet, and one of the first things that seems to slip is going to be medical insurance. ' I haven't got medical insurance, so what I do is I go down to the hospital and I give them somebody else's name and Social Security number, and I piggyback on their insurance.' It is becoming more and more of a thing, and it is becoming more and more alarming.

FIELD: Now you have mentioned healthcare here a couple of times, Jay. As you look at the risks, are there any specific industries or even government agencies that you find to be at greater risk of identity theft than others?

FOLEY: If I were going to categorize the most sensitive industries, the first one I would go at would be the payment industry, the payment services industry, and that is the companies that process credit card and debit card transactions. Why? Because that is where the money is right at the moment. If a thief can get into your software and can get into your data, they have ready cash right there at their fingertips.