Identity Theft Letter-to-the-Editor

Dear Letters Editor:

"Identity Theft" you can blame on the greed of the federal government and the duplicity of banks and credit card companies. My original Social Security Card says "Not to be used for identification purposes," but that was soon violated by a congress eager to have the IRS correlate payrolls and bank accounts, so they could squeeze more money from us. Every business was encouraged to "simplify" our world by requiring Social Security Numbers (SSNs) to get bank accounts and use SSNs as the account numbers of everything from insurance to medical records. It cost businesses a fortune to comply and is costing businesses and individuals a lot of pain, anguish and financial loss to identity theft and credit card, debit card, check and other financial fraud.

I remember the propaganda: "That way you won't have to remember so many numbers." Not that anyone did anyway. We just referenced our files safely secured at home.

Once upon a time it was impractical for thieves to covertly gain access to one account for one withdrawal, but the ubiquitous SSN makes it easy to access all the accounts of an individual, and rape them for months with impunity, so every thief with a brain engages in the plunder. Now businesses are scrambling to revert to unique numbers for each account to frustrate identity thieves. Congresspersons have yet to wake up to the problem they created, so banks are still vulnerable by statute.

I recently secured provisional patent US60/634,199, entitled "Financial Transaction Method," which describes a way to make it impossible for anyone to engage in fraudulent financial transactions via fraud, theft or coercion, and makes it easier to conduct interpersonal and business financial transactions using information displayed on cell phones, PDAs, retail counters, newspapers, magazines, bills, televisions and computer monitors. It also eliminates shipping and receiving fraud. If interested see wtholmes.com/patent/. Also at that site is information about what to do if your identity information is compromised.

Sincerely,
William T. Holmes
P.O. Box 130755
Carlsbad, California 92013-0755
760-917-2498