Released: September 28, 2006

Watching over ID-theft victims

Source: By Jon Swartz, USA Today

For a few hours a day, Steven Peisner calls strangers across the USA — sometimes at night — and reads to them their Social Security numbers and credit card data.
Though many recipients immediately suspect he is an ID thief, Peisner’s intent is just the opposite: He is a digital whistle-blower.

“My motivation is to be a good citizen and put a dent in (fraudulent e-mail) phishing scams,” says Peisner, president of SellitSafe.com, which provides anti-phishing services for online merchants. He works closely with law enforcement and computer-security experts. Peisner, 43, is one of several avenging angels nationwide looking out for the well-being of ID-theft victims. They share a fervent desire to publicize the widespread availability of stolen personal data on the Internet.

• Betty “BJ” Ostergren, a former insurance-claims supervisor in Virginia, occasionally warns consumers that their Social Security numbers are posted on public government websites. For the past four years, she has spent several hours a day digging through sites for Social Security numbers. So far, she’s uncovered 18,000 records.
• Janice Forster, 50, a paralegal in North Carolina, this year started FindMyId.com, a website devoted to educating consumers about ID theft. In the past week, she mailed more than 100 letters to North Carolina residents informing them that their personal information is available on the Internet.

“I just want to make a difference,” says Forster, who had never before been involved in a grass-roots movement. “In good conscience, I can’t watch this happen to people.”

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