If the CG office wants to photocopy your DL...

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Information to Keep Private

Almost Never Provide Your...
*Driver's license---Though your state's Department of Motor Vehicles site may require you to enter this information, no other site should
*Social Security number----You can't check your credit rating at the sites of Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion without giving this information. No other site (except that of the Social Security Administration itself) should require it.

Very Infrequently Provide Your...
*Bank account number----Your bank will probably require this number when it sets up your online banking, as will any credit-card accounts you set up with automatic payments from the bank account. After that, no other sites should ask for or need this information.
*Passwords-----Only a site you're logging in to should ask for a password. Don't share one with any other site. Also, use a different password for each site, and avoid using real words in your passwords. If the resulting smorgasbord of passwords becomes confusing, use a password manager such as Password Safe.


Somewhat More Often (but Cautiously) Provide Your...
*Credit card number-----You can't shop online without it, but be careful with sites that you don't know by reputation. If your bank offers temporary or virtual credit card numbers, use them. Or keep a separate credit card account for purchases at sites you're not comfortable with.
*Mother's maiden name----This information could be used, along with other data, to steal your identity, so be careful. Some Web sites ask for this name to confirm release of your password if you forget it, but we recommend that you use other information, such as your high school or your pet's name, for this purpose, when the site allows you to do so.
*Home address---As with credit card numbers, you can't entirely avoid sharing your home address when you're making a purchase, but do so only when necessary: Identity thieves find this information quite useful.
*Date of birth---If bad guys get hold of this one, you can't change it. Many sites that ask for your birthdate do so only for marketing purposes, so fudge away. Others ask for it in order to verify your age.

Hmmmm - How do you spell paranoia???

Sooooo - *OLD* Biscuit - when you go to the doctor's office (or a Lab), they copy your Medicare card - the person(s) making the copies have access to your SS number (it's on the Medicare card).

Unless you use one of the pay-as-you-go (minutes) cell phones, most/all of the major cell phone companies require your SS number.
A sales clerk has access to your SS #.

*If* you are worried about identity theft, you should have credit freezes with each of the 3 credit agencies...:W

No big deal.

The sky is not falling...:S

~

Information to Keep Private

Almost Never Provide Your...
*Driver's license---Though your state's Department of Motor Vehicles site may require you to enter this information, no other site should
*Social Security number----You can't check your credit rating at the sites of Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion without giving this information. No other site (except that of the Social Security Administration itself) should require it.

Very Infrequently Provide Your...
*Bank account number----Your bank will probably require this number when it sets up your online banking, as will any credit-card accounts you set up with automatic payments from the bank account. After that, no other sites should ask for or need this information.
*Passwords-----Only a site you're logging in to should ask for a password. Don't share one with any other site. Also, use a different password for each site, and avoid using real words in your passwords. If the resulting smorgasbord of passwords becomes confusing, use a password manager such as Password Safe.


Somewhat More Often (but Cautiously) Provide Your...
*Credit card number-----You can't shop online without it, but be careful with sites that you don't know by reputation. If your bank offers temporary or virtual credit card numbers, use them. Or keep a separate credit card account for purchases at sites you're not comfortable with.
*Mother's maiden name----This information could be used, along with other data, to steal your identity, so be careful. Some Web sites ask for this name to confirm release of your password if you forget it, but we recommend that you use other information, such as your high school or your pet's name, for this purpose, when the site allows you to do so.
*Home address---As with credit card numbers, you can't entirely avoid sharing your home address when you're making a purchase, but do so only when necessary: Identity thieves find this information quite useful.
*Date of birth---If bad guys get hold of this one, you can't change it. Many sites that ask for your birthdate do so only for marketing purposes, so fudge away. Others ask for it in order to verify your age.

7 rental cars......

Sorry, but to be true they had to have your credit card too. As a principal with three nationwide rental car companies, I can tell you they do not check numbers with DMV, but do have to have valid credit cards in the same name which are checked with the cc provider before the keys are handed over. Not getting the whole story here?

I can't speak for anywhere else but in California, the only folks you have to surrender your drivers license to is a LEO or a Judge. The State will not tell me what is on the magnetic strip and no one scans my license. Enterprise Auto Rental used to require your SS#, I never gave that out either.

I have walked from both a motel and an Enterprise Office because they refused to rent to me without swiping my DL or give my SS#. It's the principle not any notion of loss of identity but just cuse I'm ornery.

Yes we've run into it at many motels, when we pay with cash especially.
They say Homeland Security.
I'm all for security but I don't want our travels tracked by centralized computer, for whomever's reasons.

SolidAxleDurango wrote:
The same thing happens at every hotel on earth.... How's this any different?

I've never had a hotel make a copy. Generally they look at it to see if the name and pic match the name on the reservation. That is all they have any reason or need to do, and I would not let them make a copy if they asked. This is NOT a homeland security thing. That is a load of BS.

I've had medical providers ask for photo ID, also to verify identity. Apparently using someone else's insurance is a fairly common fraud. They wanted to make a copy, and I told them I would just show it every time I came, there was no reason for them to have a copy--especially at some place I may never go to again.

My concern is identity theft---with a credit card number and all the info on your driver's license, a scammer could get a long way. A medical office has even more info, usually your SSN along with everything else. Medical offices are a prime source of info for identity theft, usually lifted by an employee.

Be VERY careful allowing your DL copied. My DL number was stolen in an identity theft. They had a fake license made, using my number and address, their picture, then used the new license to rent cars ... 7 of them, forgetting to return them. The ID validation with my DMV proved the number, name an address was valid, so renting cars was easy. Imagine my shock when I started receiving 'where is our car' letters. It was a mess to straighten out. My state won't issue a new DL number.

Ummm...EVERY casino makes a copy of your DL when you get one of their cards...:S....Dennis

They already have your address if they have your phone number, even a cell phone.

So much of our socity relies on people being nice. There are very few protections beyond that. It's amazing it works as well as it does.

None of my credit cards have my picture or address on them, but my drivers license does. If you bolt without paying because the credit cards are stolen, they know where to find you. And the thieves know that.