ID Theft

ID Theft No. 1 Growing Crime In The U.S.

By Lisa Barton
BYU Daily Universe
June 1, 2005
A tech-savvy computer user was able to pull up the social security numbers of Waldo Tibbets, an advertising executive in Virginia, off of Tibbets' personal computer - a computer he had thrown away.

"That's just enough to give you a heart attack seeing that," he told Inside Edition. "I was totally floored."

Luckily, the hacker was Steve Elderkin, CEO of White Canyon Software in Orem, who was merely trying to show the vulnerability of information left on personal computers.

No longer do identity thieves rummage through garbage cans and pick pocket for wallets. They are turning to the Internet to obtain sensitive information such as personal tax returns, passwords, and personal banking statements. All of this can happen within a matter of minutes, as long as the computer is connected to the World Wide Web.

"You think you have deleted everything, but it's still there," said Bruce Rowe of White Canyon. "And frankly, it's a piece of cake to break into."

A federal survey showed that one in every four households reported identity theft in the last year. It is the fastest growing crime in the country, according to the FBI.

Social security numbers, pin numbers, passwords and personal finance statements contained within personal computers were noted among the most common information stolen. All of these can be accessed from any computer if the hacker knows his way around cyberspace, Rowe said.

Rowe said one reason why millions have been victimized is because most people believe that a deleted file is dissolved permanently, when it is actually still accessible. He compared deleted files to eliminating a hyperlink to a Web page.

"You've deleted the link, but the information is still there," he said.

Recently, Inside Edition aired a feature story surrounding identity theft committed from retrieving sensitive information off of personal and commercial computers. Inside Edition found more than two-dozen old computers from second hand shops, garbage dumps or otherwise and sent the hard drives to Elderkin.

Elderkin, who consulted the FBI on computer forensics, was able to access sensitive information, showing the susceptibility of personal files to hackers.

"Depending on the hard drive itself, you could have all the data within a matter of minutes with almost no work," he told Inside Edition.

Elderkin, who founded White Canyon, centers business around permanently erasing personal information - the kind that criminals search for.

The company offers a range of products like WipeDrive, a program that overwrites important information, making it virtually inaccessible to anyone. This protective technology is necessary in today's world of communication, Elderkin said on the company Web site.

WhiteCanyon is one of five security software deletion companies that are recommended by the FBI and CIA, according to their Web site.