How Swapping Info After Car Crash Caused Identity Theft | Identity ...

Inconsistent Identity Theft Laws

How much personal information should we share with strangers? In the age of identity theft, there is conflicting information about what sensitive data we should share with businesses, government agencies and especially strangers. Recently in the USA, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners cautioned drivers about providing too much information to the other driver following an car accident. In many cases, the association said, drivers can put themselves in jeopardy of being identity-theft victims by supplying too much personal information such as their driver?s license number.

The association put together a checklist and created a mobile application for iPhones and Android devices to help people after an accident. The app is called WreckCheck, (If you can?t get the app, you can download a paper version.) Neither the app nor the paper checklist spells out the state-specific requirements for sharing personal information.

For example, in some US states drivers are required to exchange license numbers. In Virginia, drivers involved in a car accident are required by state law to provide their names, addresses, driver?s license and vehicle registration numbers. Maryland law also mandates that drivers give sensitive information but specifically says, ?on request, exhibit his license to drive.? You are required to do the same for the police investigating the accident.

?Of course we urge consumers to follow their local laws,? said Scott Holeman, communications director of NAIC. ?This is one of the reasons NAIC recommends you always call the police in the event of an accident. They are your first, best resource on the nuances of state law, especially if someone is injured.?

?If you aren?t sure what?s required, you can assume the police can help coordinate the required exchange of information,? Holeman said.

The point is that we are asked to voluntarily provide personal information to strangers that makes us vulnerable to identity theft.

Identity theft is not a minor problem in people?s lives?.It can become a serious ordeal! In 2011, identity fraud in the USA increased 13% ?according to Javelin Strategy & Research. More than 11.6 million adults became victims of identity fraud. A contributing factor was a 67 % increase in data breaches. Victims of data breaches are 9.5 times more likely to be a subject of identity fraud, Javelin found.

In the worst case ?scenario, people spend an extraordinary amount of time and money trying to clear up the damage. When their personal information is stolen, their credit can be ruined. Sometimes identity theft victims are mistaken for the thief and wrongly arrested.

Some Medicare cards have social security number on it. ?At the same time, the federal government, which issued the card, warns citizens, especially seniors, to be careful about sharing their Social Security number.

For tips on how to reduce the risk of identity theft, including those who have to use a Medicare card, go to www.privacyrights.org and search for ?Coping With Identity Theft: Reducing the Risk of Fraud.?

Recently, ?a person was harassed by a driver who had hit her while she was walking in a parking lot.

?In the ambulance, I shared with the police officer my driver?s license and provided my telephone number, which is unlisted for professional and personal reasons,? the reader said. ?I personally did not give any information to the driver of the car who hit me. On the Sunday morning following the accident, the driver called me at my home several times and even offered to come to my home to bring me flowers. Certainly he was expressing concern for me but was also anxious about what the legal outcome would be for him. He was a stranger who now knew where I lived, that I had been seriously injured by his actions, and was distraught.?

The driver had found out the women?s personal information by looking at the accident report.

?When he continued to call me periodically, I had to ask his insurance agent and the policeman to communicate the message to the driver not to call me again,? she said.

Unfortunately, we have conflicting advice. The NAIC, which is the standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the chief insurance regulators in the country, tells us not to give out too much personal information. Yet some state laws that directly require us to give out sensitive information.

You should always err on the side of caution. Only provide the information that is absolutely necessary or required by law.

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