If you automatically think your personal information is safe with government agencies, you may be wrong. A Consumer Reports investigation found the federal government is among the biggest sources of identity leaks.
The Consumer Reports investigation information is pretty disturbing. Paying bills online and shopping online is more of a norm now and so many of us are vulnerable to someone stealing our personal information. Consumer Reports found more than 230 security lapses by federal, state and local governments from 2005 through June 2008. The lapses resulted in the loss or exposure of at least 44 million consumer records that contained social security numbers and all types of personal data.
A report last year from the U.S. Treasury Department revealed laptops were stolen because IRS employees checked them at airports, lost them on trains or left them in unlocked cars. Only one employee was disciplined.
Original source: http://creditscorenewsaggregator.wordpress.com/?p=7
