Find My ID

Glenn Hagele's Eye-Opening Experience

2007-05-01T00:42:00.000-04:00

Glenn Hagele is the founder of USAEyes.org, a nonprofit organization which ranks lasik and similar opthalmology professionals so that the general public has one additional source of information before making decisions about eye surgery. He lives in California.

Lauranell "Nell" Burch resides in Durham, North Carolina, where she maintains a website full of complaints on Lasik procedures and even though Hagele never met, treated, or advised her on eye surgery, Burch has 'outed' him on her website by publishing his address, signature, social security number, and banking information.

Hagele says he has been cyber-assassinated, and describes Burch's actions as an "internet hit job". When he asked authorities for help in removing his personal information from Burch's website, he hit a brick wall. Hagele feels legislation hasn't caught up with the warp speed of internet progression.

Mr. Hagele, not only has legislation caught up, they mooned you as they sped past.

For the past two years www.FindMyID.com and Texan David Bloys' News For Public Officials have warned every public official in America who has an email, phone number, or physical address. Not only has our advice gone unheeded, it's most often unappreciated. Databanking is big business in America; protecting private citizens is not.

Hagele plans to speak to legislators and publicly to bring attention to his plight and warn of the danger to others. We wish him all the best and hope that his message reaches Lauranell Burch, whose home address, bank, and signature are all available on the Durham County, NC, Register of Deeds website.

www.FindMyID.com

Governor Rick Perry .. NAKED!

2007-04-16T16:43:00.000-04:00

Someone needs to say it out loud:

Texas Governor Rick Perry is naked!

Metaphorically parading the streets of Texas in his fine political clothes, Perry condescends to the masses that we simply aren't sophisticated enough to understand his personal, private need for the massive database of information in his office; TDEx.

Governor Perry has spent (so far) $3.6 million on TDEx, an extensive database containing detailed personal information on millions of private citizens. The database is under direct control of Perry and only those he authorizes.

Like the fine silk threads in Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emporer's New Clothes", only the stupid or unworthy would be unable to appreciate the beauty of TDEx. Rather, that's what the Governor was banking on, that the overwhelming majority of Texans would share collective ignorance of an obvious, absurd, fact.

Just as Governor Perry passes by, however, Rep. Richard Pena Raymond (D-Laredo) steps to the forefront and declares to the crowd ...

"But he has nothing on!"

Rep. Raymond swiftly submits HB 4108, a bill which calls for Governor Perry and his Homeland Security Director, Steve McCraw, to come before the Defense Affairs and State - Federal Relations Committee to explain why they have invaded the privacy of millions of Texans.

Raymond goes on to comment, "There is no greater right as an American citizen than the right to privacy. This basic right has been put in jeopardy by the governor's reckless and improper handling of Texans personal information. I'm asking for immediate action and oversight.

No Texan, regardless of ideology or political party, believes a governor should have unlimited access into the lives of private individuals. It is disappointing that Rick Perry has been blind to the basic fundamental rights of those who elected him."

Millions of Texans will have Rep. Raymond to thank for speaking up to the blind parade of individuals who amazingly allowed Perry to get this far.

As for Governor Perry? For heaven's sake, man, cover yourself!

www.FindMyID.com

Governor Perry's Colossal Abuse of Power

2007-04-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

Turns out Texas Governor Rick Perry may have had ulterior motives when declaring social security numbers were no longer confidential. Less than a month later we learn of his super-collection of data on fellow Texans, data that isn't guarded by proper security, but housed in the governor's own office.

In retrospect, Texans have little right to complain. There have been constant calls to action over abuse of privacy by the county clerks who, in the light of day, apparently were given the green light all along to place sensitive information online. But it isn't too late.

Last month during a visit to my son in Washington, DC, we drove through the downtown area and landed in the thick of an anti-war rally. Angry protestors carried signs and shouted to each other and passing motorists while others took to make-shift stages sending messages to the masses.

I wondered how effective these protestors were and realized the very people they were shouting against were most likely away for the weekend and if at all, would hear about the rallies in a 10 second newscast days after the fact.

How much more effective would our voices be if they were calm and determined instead of shouted? Penned instead of screamed? Consistently calling instead of carrying signs?

When Texas legislators' and Governor Rick Perry's office switchboard is jammed with angry callers and his mail has to be delievered in bags, when his email server crashes, then they'll listen to you. Until then, none of the blogs or protests or news reports will make one bit of difference. Just as we've seen with the latest development of the super-database, for example.

To call Governor Rick Perry:
(512) 463-2000 or
(800) 252-9600.

Write him at:
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas
78711-2428

Fax your opinion to:
(512) 463-1849

No shouts or protest signs necessary.

www.FindMyID.com

Public Records Worth Publishing

2007-04-10T11:02:00.000-04:00

In the midst of moving, I keep running across documents that ought to be published online. These are of much greater value to the masses than your neighbor's deed of trust, yet no risk is posed by placing them online.

Why isn't there a repository for truly valuable personal documents? Why do we even argue about whether to place someone's life and assets at risk when there are countless drawings, notes, and love letters rattling around in the back of a drawer somewhere that would enrich the lives of everyone who read them? I'd be more than happy to pay that $14 first page, $3 each page thereafter for such a document to be preserved.

My 5 year old neighbor coordinates walking Pockets, her poodle, with my arrival home from work so that we can visit for a few minutes. Like clockwork, she is always smiling, waiting, leash in hand as I pull in each afternoon. To an empty nest Mom, this is a welcome, anticipated sight.

Since Easter was nearing I decided to make a little Easter basket for my tiny neighbor as a surprise. Filling it with craft supplies, chocolates and a fuzzy bunny who clung to the handle, I slipped downstairs to secretly leave it by her door. Only the surprise was on me.. she was arrriving home with her mom at the same moment. They were both thrilled and the joy in her eyes was worth stopping packing for a few minutes to pack a colorful basket.

Last night after coming home late, I found a note stuck in the door. In measured, childish handwriting, was a sweet thank you note:

Dear Jan,

Thank you Very much for My easter basket. I like the bunny the Best. I Named her Bunny Brianna. I liked everything. thank you. Love Jadan

The second precious document was discovered when clearing that kitchen drawer we all have but couldn't inventory if our lives depended on it. On a page from a note pad were these words, written by my son years ago:

What a wonderful day, just 'cause the sun came up. Every day is a miracle. Everything around us proves it. How lucky we are to be witness to God's quiet miracles. So much we take for granted!

Reality is this; we place our neighbors and entire country at risk while allowing precious documents like the ones above to be discovered by accident, years later. In case we ever come to our senses and provide a respository for similar documents, I'll place these in a more secure place after the move.

If you're concerned about security breach by your county government, just send me a note at findmyid@mindspring.com and provide your name, county, and state. I'll be happy to check your records free of charge, but don't expect a reply for a day or so. I've decided to take a little breather to focus on thoughtful children and "God's quiet miracles".

www.FindMyID.com

Online Records. It's YOUR Fault.

2007-04-09T02:21:00.001-04:00

It shouldn't surprise me, but does, that the main focus of online record control has turned into a colossal blame game. No matter who wants to discuss online records the conversation is generally monopolized by the interviewer asking who I blame for loss of privacy and the resulting increase in ID Theft.

My answer: All of us.

If you are an American citizen who hasn't complained to your local clerk and other elected officials, you are the problem. If you're an abstractor who's seen sensitive documents online but brought it to no one's attention, then you're to blame. If you're an attorney whose client lists their social security number on the document just because there's a space for it, knowing you will later record that doc with a clerk who publishes online, then you are to blame. Ditto for banks, notaries, title companies, and certainly the clerks and registrars who post that information online - and the county management who allows it.

There's plenty of blame to go around but discussing and assigning it is fruitless. The real issue is online recordkeeping and the lack of security in our nation. If you'll simply take responsibility for your part of the problem, pretty soon we won't have a problem.

Let's not leave the patient waiting in the operating room while we stand outside the ER screaming at passing motorists, trying to decide who hit the poor guy. Scoot! Everybody! Go and do your job!

Get in touch with us at findmyid@mindspring.com We still check records free of charge.

www.FindMyID.com

Politickin' Ain't Cheap

2007-03-26T23:55:00.000-04:00

I've just read "Business, bureaucrats hope lawmakers trump Abbott's SSN rule" in Legal News Online and wonder if you noticed who was missing from that headline. How about the citizens of Texas?

That noted, let's clear up a few things.

HB 2061 does not allow for redaction of a social security number. It allows for redaction of all but the last four digits of a social security number which, ironically, are the most crucial in identity theft.

In a recent article in News For Public Officials , author David Bloys breaks down the social security number this way:

"Your nine-digit SSN is composed of three parts, only the last part identifies you. The other two sets of numbers identify the group of people who received their numbers from the same region and at approximately the same time as you."

As for business grinding to a halt in Texas when the clerks blocked access to the records; hogwash. That was nothing more than a well-orchestrated sit-in designed to punish Abbott for upsetting the clerks' routine.

As an abstractor, I know personally the importance of access to official records when completing a title order. But the title companies have been buying records in bulk from those few rogue clerks for years in order to create their own title plants and spending less than a penny per record, literally, while the public, who built and paid for the database still pay as much as a dollar per page. As for a disservice to the public, most citizens have never even been to the clerk's office unless it was for a marriage license or copy of a birth certificate and geez, now you can just order a birth certificate online.

No one seems to remember that there are also books inside the courthouse, which is how records were searched for a hundred years until software salesmen came along and courted a few misguided clerks. One North Carolina clerk answered this way when asked the advantage of online systems over books, "Well, we don't have all those people cluttering up the office."

Funny, isn't it? How we're 'voters' one month and 'clutter' the next?

Don't you find it interesting that Abbott's ruling "triggered a burst of activity" among Texas clerks in removing social security numbers once it was mandated? This is something they could have initiated and should have been doing all along if they'd been concerned at all. But Texas is the corporate home of Affiliated Computer Systems (ACS), Perot Systems, Electronic Data Systems, Hart Intercivic, and countless other software companies and data brokers and as we've witnessed from nearly every public official in Texas except Greg Abbott, money talks. In Texas, big money talks loud.

Yes, Texas representatives "rode to the rescue" of business, bureaucrats and county clerks who pouted until they received HB 2061, but cowardly sold out the everyday citizen by bowing to Big Money in the process. I hope they remembered to pick up their spines at the door.

DEEDS R US

2007-03-13T00:55:00.000-04:00

The post office did it. So did motor vehicle offices. License plate divisions. Even some police departments. Billing offices have done it for years.

Government offices all over the nation are turning to the private sector for more efficient, innovative service ideas. That's where I come in.

"If you want something done right, do it yourself."

I couldn't agree more. And that's why, after pleading, worrying, cajoling, and lobbying against online records in government, I'm toying with the idea of a Deeds R Us office near you.

Not only will your records remain offline, I'll keep a communication log of who requests to see them. Title companies, banks, and data brokers may view, but not copy the records. All abstracts must be done on site.

Think I'm kidding?

Even Harvard Business School can't argue that there are thousands more homeowners / voters than there are title executives, legislators, and data brokers. And those homeowners and voters are frustrated beyond reason with clerks and registrars who sell and expose them and then claim moral and legal immunity.

Think real estate industry will grind to a halt?

Think again. If I hold the fastest growing repository in town, they'll come around quick enough.

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But the clerks and registrars have already enabled the private sector to successfully run such a business. They're called 'title plants' and they gained billions of your records at cut-rate prices, compliments of rogue clerks such as Dianne Wilson of Fort Bend County, Texas.

But my company will be different. You won't record with the county and me. Just me. And when there's a big enough gap in the chain of title and enough title companies tapping pencils to their teeth out of boredom and enough legislators trying to explain how this all happened, then you'll get the respect you paid for and fully deserved all along.

Deeds R Us. Reasonable recordings secured in a steel vault. Coming soon to a town near you!

Until that happy day, send an email to FindMyID@mindspring.com I'll be happy to check your records free of charge. Oh, and investors are welcome to contact me at the same email address. I check it often. There's no shortage of furious, frightened citizens asking for help.

www.FindMyID.com

Don't Mess With Texas? Don't Make Me Laugh.

2007-03-06T23:41:00.000-05:00

I'll say it. In all of Texas there is less than a handful of people interested American security. Oh they sport matching t-shirts and shake their fist when it comes to border patrol, but when asked to write a simple letter of protest or make a brief call to their local representative, the entire state caves like a bunch of little girls.

And speaking of girls, apparently hairspray, a tantrum, and a sufficient amount of whining is all that's needed for Representative Jim Keffer to cave, a man who rushed to the manipulative clerks' rescue and suggested we all ignore Attorney General Abbott's ruling so that the "courthouse can get back to business as usual".

Business as usual equals corruption in Texas.

If that sounds harsh, perhaps you can explain how trafficking in social security numbers would land the rest of us in prison, yet is perfectly legal when done by a Texas County Clerk?

Isn't anyone down there asking why the clerks are hell-bent on keeping title companies, banks, and data brokers happier than their own citizens?

If you're the next victim of ID Theft in Texas, don't expect much sympathy from a legal system who preferred business as usual over security, and please, don't have the you-know-whats to whine about it. It's clear now that you don't have any you-know-whats.

www.FindMyID.com

Attention, shoppers: Texas will be closing in 10 minutes..

2007-02-24T02:32:00.000-05:00

If there had been time, that would have been an appropriate headline all over Texas today as word spread about the recent interpretation of privacy laws by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

Just as in North Carolina where the decision to place social security numbers online was called a "business tool and management decision" by careless registrars and clerks, Texas clerks dismissed public concern and tossed millions of their constituents to the wolves.

A check of recorder and clerk websites in Texas late this afternoon showed all to be offline except for half a dozen, most of which had malfunctioning links.

The ruling could mean criminal charges for some recorders and clerks. Texas Government Code Section 552.352 makes the distribution of confidential information a crime in some cases, punishable by a Class B misdemeanor, which carries a fine of up to $1,000 or six months in jail.

The same applies in most other states and carries the same, appropriate consequence for irresponsible clerks who sold and published images in bulk. Attorney General Abbott's opinion specifically warns county officials that they could be charged with federal felonies as well as the misdemeanors.

David Bloys, security specialist and author of News For Public Officials, has been telling public officials across the country the same thing for two years. You can bet he'll work for all Americans as diligently as he did for his fellow Texans.

God bless Texas!

www.FindMyID.com

I Know Who You Are.

2007-02-22T09:46:00.000-05:00

I know who you are. I know who you married and where you two live now and even where you used to live. I know which bank you used when you bought a home, the account number, how much you borrowed, and when your final payment is due. I can tell you the name of the person who prepared those documents and which lawyer closed the loan and where. And if you want proof, I can send your social security number.

I have a copy of your signature, a photo of your home, and complete directions on how to get there. The photo shows your car in the drive, so now I know if you're single or married, what you drive, and where you live.

I can read your separation agreement, know who got the big screen tv, who got the retirement account, and where the kids will be this weekend and with whom. I even know why you broke up. The divorce looked nasty, I read pages and pages of sordid detail, but couldn't keep from laughing about the stinky fish you left in the swimming pool last summer.

I saw your father's will. That was nice of him to include you, and I also saw a picture of the home he left you and your sister (I have her name and address, too). He was sick for a long time but it looks like his doctors tried everything possible and his nurse seemed like a sweet person. I read about them all. Hmm. Maybe I'll send a nice note, since I have all their addresses.

It's scary to realize his death certificate, social security number, signature, and accounts are all so available. I hope someone doesn't steal his entire identity. After all, you've been through enough lately and probably wouldn't even realize it until creditors began calling asking why he wasn't paying his bills. Then again, the thieves might just steal his home by filling in a blank deed and recording it. They have his signature and it 'copy and paste' isn't exactly rocket science.

I saw the complete list of medicine your dad was taking and you may want to ask your doctor about that third one, there's been some controversy over it in the news lately.

I was happy to see you strike out on your own when you started that new business! - and then sad to see the liens against you when your business failed. The judge's decision when you went to court was fair, though, don't you think? Oh, and it's a shame about those speeding tickets, you know your insurance will probably increase now.

How did I learn all this? I'm not a private investigator, and I didn't spend a penny. In fact, I never even left home to learn this much about you. I simply clicked. I sat down at my computer and visited your county's recorder, register of deeds, and clerk's office websites.

I know who you are, but you have nothing to fear from me. What I read about you is forgotten in minutes. A thief or stalker may not be as forgetful.

If you want to know what I know about you, just send me an email. I'll be happy to give you the details and then tell you how to stop your county websites from broadcasting your life to the world.

Your local registry and county clerks say that you don't care, that's why they're selling all your information to data brokers and posting it online. So tell me, do you care?

www.FindMyID.com

ID Theft on Decline? A Resounding NO!

2007-02-19T15:15:00.000-05:00

After Ian Katz' story appeared I checked back to see the comments and thought you would also be interested whether "you" are the general public, police, legislative branch, land registry, or other.

Comments

BUD:
Unfortunately this sounds like the cop investigating my house break in."Who cares what you lost, you have insurance". Or Who care about the cost of healthcare, you have insurance. When my credit card number was hijacked, the cops said "Who cares, you didn't lose anything" meaning the credit card company would pay for the charges. It's the perfect crime, no punishment.

RATBOY:
No big surprise why Ian Katz is skeptical of any report stating ID Theft is on the decline (since you personally have been a victim). How about sticking to some journalistic integrity and reporting just the facts for once, Ian. If you want to put in your 2 cents, write an editorial, not a news story.

THE DETECTIVE:
This article ignores the link between identity theft and crystal meth junkies. There are entire networks of meth addicts who share identity theft information and tactics. This is how they support their habits. Clean up the crystal meth problem, and identity theft will decrease by 50%.

YEAH RIGHT:
I was a victim and the police wouldn't even take a report. Said they had thousands upon thousands and that they couldn't even begin cover the case loads. So to use the police reports as a barometer of how many identity thefts there are is **** poor reporting.

JOSEPH LEFF:
Identity theft could - could - affect one's credit score. It also could be used by illegal aliens, including terrorists. It's potentially a lot more dangerous than news stories usually say.

JEFF ANDERSON:
Do your research. The studies were funded by the bank card companies hoping to allay fears of consumers. Not so says the FTC who says complaints for ID Theft have risen.

JOE FROM TULSA:
If you saw a study taht said if you drank at least 5 cups of Brazilian Fresh ground coffee per day it would cure any know disease and prevent any other disease, cure infurtility, ect, would you beleive it less if the study was paid for by the Association of Brazilian Coffee Growers ???

Of Course !!!
Now this study is trying to make you worry less and use your credit cards more and make more internet transactions so they can earn more fees.

Saying who sponsored or funded the study tells it all "The small community of ID privacy advocates is especially critical of the Javelin study. Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C., points out that the report was sponsored by Visa, Wells Fargo and electronic billing company CheckFree, all of which "have an interest in avoiding further regulation."

FRANK:
This is a whole lot of Bull.

There is a lot of people who the government knows that has has their information stolen in the last few years when companies have been hacked into or people walking around with private data on laptops.

The problem is that unless you live in the state of California, any company who has had their data stolen is not required to notify you.

I had my data stolen from 2 break-ins last year, I have a fraud alert on my SS number. Neighter time did the company notify me of this. I requested both companies DELETE my information from their servers and they declined to do so and threw some BS law on my face.

The government can not do anything about identity theft because it will cost the government money. The government would love to have every men, women and child in dept up to their ears, and if they make it harder for people to get credit it will reduce the amount of "compulsive buyers"

PNG:
Identify theft is as easy as having someone give your name to BSO in an arrest. It happened to me in minutes...(this person had to show no id, gave no social, no birthdate, nothing, to suddenly become "me" in an arrest) and then I find out while I'm at home 7 months pregnant, that I'm actually "in jail". When I found out I asked BSO to fingerprint the person in jail because it "wasn't me" and they told me it doesn't make any difference because they got time served.
8 years later I still have to carry double identity to prove who I am because people who take identity for a living don't give a **** How many places have you gotten gas where you don't even need a pin or a even a zip code. Swipe a card....get gas.
Say a name...you become them.

In the computer age we should have some better ID protection than this street crime ease.

GAMEBOY:
Do you think the cops really care. Evidently not.

I hope you got a lawyer.

DAN:
Identity thieves would love the public to lower their guard. Increased awareness and legislative efforts have made life a little more difficult for the thief. We still have a long way to go.
People who feel that the threat of ID theft is over hyped should talk to a victim who has spent months and years disputing false credit and criminal charges.
Some form of ID theft has always been with us -- only the techniques and consequences change. Our reaction to any threat should be balanced. We shouldn't retreat to a constant paranoid state of thinking everyone is trying to steal our identity. We also can't be naive; our identities are valuable.

Lastly, JOANNA offers:
Identity theft is not going away. People need to start taking it serious. It is not just about you and how careful you are it is about technology and humon error and theives. Your information is every where. Your doctors office, hospital,bank local department stores and floating around in cyber space. You are at risk no matter what you do. I have the one product on the market that not only monitors you credit but will restore you identiy if it is stolen.

I didn't offer Joanna's email address (as she did in her post) because I hate to see people pay for something they can get for free.

If you're concerned about your records being posted online and the potential for ID Theft, send a note to:

FindMyID@mindspring.com

We still check records free of charge or if you prefer, offer instructions on how you can do it, yourself.

www.FindMyID.com

Ian Katz, Take a Deep Breath

2007-02-16T23:56:00.000-05:00

Sun-Sentinel reporter Ian Katz advises everyone worried about ID theft to "Take a deep breath". Here's hoping Ian takes his own advice after learning it took less than sixty seconds to locate a home address, social security number, and a lot of personal history bearing his name.

Katz' story opens with the news that ID theft is down. Then, maybe not. Then, saying it's difficult to gauge the reliability of any of these reports, Katz notes that "in fairness, one can also make the argument that privacy advocates have no interest in understating ID theft".

What possible gain is there for privacy advocates to falsely report the severity or even increase of the situation?

If Katz is referring to commercial groups who charge a fee to locate sensitive information and another one to remove it, we agree completely. These are almost always the same folks you'll find sitting in the local courthouse recording all your information, brokering it, then charging you to remove it.

But groups like www.FindMyID.com that search and alert free of charge gain only the satisfaction of knowing they've done the Right Thing. We do it because we make the time, because we can, and because someone needs to.

I don't want to dog Ian Katz. God bless him for having the courage to investigate and then report, a concept that creates hostility when suggested to North Carolina newspapers. But it's disappointing to read a suggestion that ID theft isn't as serious as it once was, especially from someone in Mr. Katz' position, when our requests for help increase every day. Ask anyone whose home, ID, or account has been swindled and they'll tell you that statistics don't matter. Unless you're a relatively wealthy person, ID theft is personally devastating and a tough recovery.

Take a deep breath, Ian. Get in touch ( findmyid@mindspring.com ) and I'll explain how we found this info, whether yours or a namesake, and if needed will provide instruction on having it removed from public view.

www.FindMyID.com

Bank of America

2007-02-16T08:24:00.000-05:00

Bank of America, the shareholder's whore, has now outdone all previous profit antics by announcing credit card accounts for illegal immigrants. These accounts require no social security numbers and clarify Bank of America's shameful stance on American security, as well as how closely they may have monitored applicant information in the past.

Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, is quoted as saying, "At face value the program seems to be problematic. It seems to be lending itself to possibilities of perpetrating identity theft or creating more risk for money laundering."

True. But think of the plus side; now immigration officials can simply subpoena Bofa's cardholder information to clean up that stack on their desk.

Miss Fannie Crank, a whore in downtown Charlotte, NC, where Bank of America is headquartered, agrees and is visibly shaken when asked how she felt about the similarities to her chosen profession. "You'd think they'd have the decency to at least change their name. We work hard for our money! They give a bad name to whores everywhere!"

I couldn't have said it better, Fannie.

If you have money in Bank of America, you need to ask yourself a hard question - Are you aiding and abetting a criminal? If your money is part of Bank of America's 5.7 billion in deposits, you may want to get in touch with us. We're concerned about American security and still check records free of charge.

www.FindMyID.com

IPOD BAN ?

2007-02-13T08:32:00.000-05:00

In yet another attempt to legislate safety or in this case, common sense, a bill is in the works to ban listening to ipods while crossing the street.

Let's see, now. That's in addition to road rules, driving rules, drinking rules, smoking rules, noise rules, caloric advice, exercise advice, and parenting advice. We have protection in the form of police, military, state, a dozen others I can't think of just now and even the all-encompassing Homeland Security.

Yet all of our personal information is posted on the Internet for the world to view?

If you see Carl Kruger, ask him to get in touch with me. I have a real project for him.

www.FindMyID.com

Winter Advisory - Check Your ID

2007-01-30T22:37:00.001-05:00

A few days ago it finally occured to me that cold weather was on the way whether I was ready or not so I set about to check all the things on the car that I have capability and knowledge about. It's a short list.

Windshield wipers ok. Ditto the oil. Tires still fat and round. But how about the radiator? The water level appeared to be several inches lower than recommended so I picked up a container of antifreeze and drove back to my apartment. The old dishcloth in the trunk worked fine to open the now slightly warm cover. My car key broke open the little foil seal. Now to just check the directions and pour, right? That's where I hit a snag.

I know the men reading this are rolling their eyes about now but I am remembering an incident from years ago when I joined up with the Literacy League. One of the first questions was why we felt we'd be good teachers to people who couldn't speak a lick of English. My confident answer was:

Because learning to read is simple if you just have a little patience.

The class leader smiled, handed me a book in Russian, sat back in her chair and said, "Read that to me. And I'm patient, so take all the time you need."

Point taken.

So I'm looking at the antifreeze in several languages and none of them were clear, including the English version. A neighbor passed by and I asked, "Do I just pour this in? Just like this?"

He wrinkled his brow, leaned deep into the car and said nodded, "Yeah, looks right. Try not to spill any though, it's lethal to dogs." Then walked away.

I tried not to focus on the splash seeping into my hand or the Mexican groundskeeper who was watching on intently from a few yards away. Just as I tipped the edge, he shouted and came running over.

"Agua! Agua! Agua!"

I stopped mid-tilt and placed the container into his reaching hands, where he pointed to the words in Spanish and then in English, MIX WITH WATER.

And suddenly there it was, clear as a bell.

I don't know what damage may have been caused if I'd simply 'guesstimated' the directions but am truly thankful someone nearby was well-versed in car matters, no matter the national origin or native tongue.

The land registries are that way no matter where you live in America. There are almost as many directions and software companies representing them as there are counties online. Over time, we've become well-read in most of them and that's why we offer to check your records for free. Because frankly, it takes longer to see which one your county is using and then explain it all to you, but if that's what you prefer we'll be happy to do that, too.

Whether you want to check your own records or want us to do it, we're here for you and will promptly let you know if and what your county is broadcasting to the world. Just send an email to: FindMyID@mindspring.com

In addition to understanding land registry lingo, we're patient souls.

www.FindMyID.com

Darwin Deason, I have a confession ...

2007-01-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

ATTN:
DARWIN DEASON, Founder
Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.
Dallas, Texas

January 23, 2007

Dear Darwin,

I have a confession to make. I found your social security number online.

The confession part, and I'm not proud to admit this, is that I actually debated on whether to post it online because after all, it is "public record" and I know how you feel about those blessed public records. Sanctity and all that. Fast and easy, instant access, worldwide!

But what's important to me and what's important to you seem to be worlds apart. It would have been easy to throw you under the bus just to watch your people (and I'm fairly certain you have 'people') bolt into action to protect you and your assets. See, I don't have People. ( Imagine what I could accomplish with People!) Neither does the rest of the world. For most folks, we're it; the only shield of protection to guarantee their records aren't exposed to the world. Of course today I worked just for you and all for free. When's the last time that happened?

Speaking of a shield between ordinary people and danger, did you know that our law enforcement community is also exposed? The same folks who have to go out to work every day with a gun on their hip now have to worry about one of the prior arrests showing up at their home. We're all so forward-thinking that one of our commissioners, when made aware of that situation here in Charlotte, said he would have to think long and hard before making exceptions even for the police department. (Dang. Hope he doesn't have to call in soon.)

But back to the confession. It's true, when I began searching it was with hope that I would find identifying information that may make you stop and think. An unexpected thing happened, though. It made me just as sad to see your life exposed as the hundreds of other folks without even a fraction of your wealth. I actually worried that some nut may come after you like the one who killed Rebecca Shaeffer after a private investigator found her address through the digitized DMV records. Or the one who stalked and killed Amy Boyer after a databroker found her information online.

Have you been to any of the big box office supply stores lately? You can pick up a pack of deeds in there for less than ten dollars. Anyone with a computer can go home, copy and paste your signature on the dotted line (found copies of that, too), record it, and you would end up asking permission to go in your own house to argue with them. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But it's happening all over. Oklahoma, Florida, Ohio, even Canada. James and Paula Cooke found themselves locked out of their $300,000 home in Denton County, Texas. The thieves who stole their home may have found everything they needed on the county website. Mrs Cooke's maiden name (the home was in her maiden name), her driver's license number and signature were available, all courtesy of services your company provides the county.

The information found in your documents could have made my life a lot easier, I gotta tell you, Darwin. As you can imagine, my name isn't exactly revered in the title industry any more and orders are slow as molasses. But with your information (or one of your wives' - did I mention I found theirs, too?) I could have ordered any number of credit cards, jewelry, more computers, driven out of a showroom with a shiny new Benz (the Chevy really is on it's last leg), and all while wearing that copper colored sweater I've been dreaming of with the black seed pearls.

But I didn't. Because it isn't the right thing to do. The right thing to do is create a super-highway that's equally responsible. You're a smart man with a world of influence. You could do such a thing and be hailed as the Patriot of the Century. Won't you at least think about it? In the meantime, send me a note and I'll be happy to check your records free of charge, same as we do for every other American every day. Or, you could ask your People to start searching and maybe, just maybe the state where I found them will have passed a redaction law by then and allow you to remove the offending information. Then again, it may be too late. Jeb Bush redacted his from a county website but today, the number can be found on websites all over the world.

Love,
Jan
ps - Do you know anything about using eBay?

www.FindMyID.com

Down the River with Darwin Deason

2007-01-22T01:37:00.000-05:00

Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS) founder Darwin Deason is at it again and if you're honorable Average Joe who thinks this news must have nothing to do with you or your life, think again.

Billionaire Deason amassed his fortune by selling you down the river; from the organization and trade of personal information. Your information. Medical records, land records, health records, any records. If it affects your life, he has it. Why does this bother me and why should you care? Because it includes your land records and every bit of personal information they contain. And maybe especially because Deason couldn't have bought that information if your local register of deeds or clerk of court hadn't facilitated the sale.

Since attracting the attention of federal prosecutors recently in a stock option scandal, we can only hope Deason will experience a little discomfort at having his personal papers scrutinized by strangers, something he's spent a career and subjected the rest of America to for years.

Deason isn't the only questionable character in this story. How about the local folks who pleaded for your vote last election with promises of safeguarding your personal records? Don't they deserve at least a phone call or visit next trip into town to ask what the heck they were thinking by selling your signature, social security number, and home address?

News for Public Officials editor, David Bloys, tells of more than one example of elected officials receiving gifts of cash, and other perks in exchange for selling your records in bulk or placing them online.

Fort Bend County Clerk Dianne Wilson has been imaging county records for more than 10 years and openly admits to regularly selling her citizens' records. One transaction of approximately 15 to 20 million records was sold to a company called Red Vision for just $2,000. Paper copies of those same documents would cost $1 a page, and still costs $1 a page to the local citizen who walks in off the street.

Bloys said Wilson is infamous nationwide for her Internet posting of public documents and even more so for the bulk sale of those documents, including documents with sensitive data to companies that, in turn, realize huge profits by selling the records to anyone who asks.

Wilson said she has no apologies for her decision to make the records available, and said medical data is not made public through her office. But when told about medical information of a family member of hers obtained through the county clerk's Web site, she had no response.

Clark (Las Vegas, NV) County Recorder, Frances Deane sold over 30 years worth of real estate documents for thousands of dollars and used the cash to pay her bills and purchase a plasma television, according to her arrest warrant. Deane was charged with 19 felony counts that include misconduct of a public officer, fraudulent appropriation of property, theft and unlawful commissions, personal profit and compensation of public officers.

Deane pocketed at least $44,000 from the sales of county-owned documents and never reported an additional $10,000 in campaign contributions. According to Las Vegas title agents, title companies pay $1.5 million to gain access to the amount of information Deane sold.

And former Jackson County, Mississippi Chancery Clerk, Lynn Presley has recently been released from prison after completing 84 months of his 10-year prison sentence for embezzling county funds in the late 1990s. According to federal prosecutors, Presley was the recipient of a kickback, valued at $60,000, in exchange for providing the county's former chief land appraiser a contract with Florida-based Mainline Corporation. The contract was to digitize and place county land records on a database.

A handful of states in the past year have released cryptic redaction forms that citizens must complete on their own listing information they want redacted, but they must also list the document source and where, within the body of the document, that sensitive information can be located. There is no time frame for redacting this information and few people are even aware of the ability to do so. When asked how many citizens had requested to redact their personal information from documents in Cabarrus County, NC, Register of Deeds Linda McAbee smiled and answered, "Besides me? One."

What does all of this have to do with Darwin Deason? There aren't any sellers if nobody's buying, and Deason has deep pockets.

Legend has it Deason's farmer father gave him $50 at high school graduation and Deason immediately used it to set out and make his way in the world. In light that $50 investment, he would have attained a more honorable legacy to have stayed on the farm and viewed the world from the back side of a mule.

www.FindMyID.com

Your Sins Will Find You Out

2007-01-19T00:34:00.000-05:00

That was a gentle moral warning my grandmother was fond of quoting, meaning no matter how clever, secret, or private you consider your misdeeds, at some point they will come to light. She was right. Read on.

Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS) is a worldwide data management company whose contracts include county clerk offices across America, meaning those land documents you've been recording at your local courthouse have now been fed into ACS computers worldwide.

Cook County, IL, officials suspended contract talks with ACS this past Wednesday after learning of its connection to a criminal investigation at the Las Vegas public hospital.

Commissioner Roberto Maldonado (D-Chicago) voted against the deal after learning about problems the company had in North Carolina with a government contract. (ACS had a five-year, $171 million contract to install and operate a Medicaid claims system for North Carolina that resulted in multiple unscheduled negotiations.)

"I have said since last summer that the track record of this company is not the best, to say the least," Maldonado said. And Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston) said he would now have "serious concerns" about using ACS for the revenue contract.

In other ACS news, on January 12 of this year they agreed to pay Delta Air Lines more than $7.5 million dollars in cash to settle disputes arising from ACS's performance on a contract to provide the bankrupt airline with human resource support.

And last November, ACS reported the theft of a laptop from it's Denver facility, offering a $10,000 reward for its return. ACS claims that the machine was stolen from a secure facility, under camera surveillance, behind two key-carded doors.

If ACS is truly concerned about security, maybe they should reconsider outsourcing and the planned construction of a 65,000 sq ft facility in Jamaica, their second there, which they staff with locals.

A slowdown in outsourcing isn't likely to happen, according to a press release announcing ACS the proud sponsor of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), who met in Dallas last Tuesday.

Michael F. Corbett, IAOP's chairman, opened the meeting by stating, "The Dallas chapter will help to improve the outcomes companies achieve through outsourcing by advancing outsourcing as a top profession for the 21st century."

Gee, thanks, ACS.

In separate news, First American Title Insurance Company announced Tuesday that its Lenders Advantage Division has completed development of TitleSmart(TM) -- a new technology that delivers insured title commitments in less than 60 seconds. Now where would they have gotten enough documents to .. nah, couldn't be. Could it?

Anyone have any questions you'd like to ask your local county government?

If you're concerned about ID Theft, security breach, or even outsourcing, get in touch with us at www.FindMyID.com

We keep a watchful eye on county records and websites. Someone sure needs to.

www.FindMyID.com

Thank You For Coming. Now Beat It!

2007-01-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

Remember those little circular diagrams from science class? They had arrows that pointed the way to a never-ending circle of life. I'd like to introduce you to the Circle of Title Companies and unfortunately, will be using the same diagram.

Now I'll admit that I don't fully understand this complicated cycle but that isn't important to the story because even a child can understand what I'm about to tell you and any child can tell you it's wrong. Title companies are big business in America - and abroad, now that they've begun outsourcing your most intimate information.

Suppose you decide to buy a home. You complete all the paperwork and submit it and eventually, it lands on the desk of a title company employee. They process that paperwork and you get the loan and they insure that the loan or title to the property is authentic. So what happens to your intimate information? It must be safe, right? After all, it had your home address, signature, social security number, the name of your bank, and heck, your wife even signed with her maiden name included! Nope. It isn't secure.

The paperwork is recorded at your local register of deeds office and more than likely, they have established a business relationship with a data imaging company, for a profit. So not only does your local elected official place your full document image online for the world to see but so does the data imaging company, with your local clerk's blessing.

First American is one of the largest, if not the largest, title companies in America. But their business decision to utilize Data Tree certainly does not serve the best interest of Americans, who are their greatest source of business. In 1998, they purchased Data Tree, a database management and document imaging company.

"First American Data Tree is the nation's leading provider of online public land records and property data, offering a database of over 3 billion recorded property documents nationwide."

Now I put that in the form of a quote because it is. It comes straight from First American's proud website. Did you notice they boast over 3 billion recorded documents online, any time? One of those documents is probably yours.

This past weekend, the National Association of Land Title Examiners and Abstractors (NALTEA) met in San Diego for their annual winter conference. Their members are the folks who search the dusty courthouses, in person, to make sure your property is free and clear of defect before you buy. In a press release dated April 27, 2006, NALTEA publicly expressed "grave concerns" and opposed "the online publication of the public records due to the sensitive information the records often contain".

As a guest at the NALTEA conference this past weekend, First American Data Tree countered that concern by stating that they do everything they can to remain compliant with county recorders and will remove its public record data from the internet if the county recorders choose to remove access to their online databases.

Well now, let's just see about that.

According to their own website, they cover Oneida County in New York. After outrage by local citizens, the Oneida county clerk was ousted in the last election and replaced by Sandra DePerno, who promised to dismantle the online county websites. Within a week of her election, it was done.

So why is Oneida County still available on the First American Data Tree website, which was checked again just five minutes ago?

This is a classic case of big business biting the hand that feeds it. Welcoming you as a customer, then shoving you out the door to the world online. Taking your money, requiring you to purchase their insurance, then placing your most sensitive information out there for the world to view, and profit from it all.

Don't let them get away with it!

Write to Oneida County Clerk Sandra DePerno first to thank her for a job well done and a promise kept! Then ask her to remind Data Tree of their promise to remove that information. DePerno kept her promise. Make Data Tree keep theirs.

You can write to Ms. DePerno at:

countyclerk@ocgov.net

And if you'd like for us to check your records, visit www.findMyID.com

Unlike First American Data Tree, we're concerned about your privacy, and there is never a charge for our services.

Who is Charles J Hynes?

2007-01-09T23:57:00.000-05:00

The best District Attorney in America, that's who.

This man will stop at nothing to catch a thief, save a truant kid on the street, or assist an elderly citizen. Located in King's County (Brooklyn), NY, DA Hynes employs techniques old, new, unique, and sometimes downright funny in his constant quest for justice. The war on crime may not be over, but Hynes is closing in fast.

I first learned of DA Hynes while looking into real estate fraud cases such as the following. On December 20, 2006 Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes announced the indictment of a married couple for stealing total ownership of a home they co-owned with an elderly Holocaust survivor and his wife who narrowly escaped Hitler’s Germany in 1938. The theft was accomplished by a forged deed and other forged documents.

"This is another example of the real estate fraud epidemic that is plaguing the city and especially Brooklyn," said District Attorney Hynes.

On December 28, 2006 Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes announced the indictment of three men charged with stealing an elderly Brooklyn woman’s home while she lay dying of cancer. The defendants are charged with forging documents to give defendant Russell Pitt power of attorney over a building owned by the woman at 39 Herkimer Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The woman died in 2005.

On July 10, 2006 Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes and Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn announced the indictment of Brooklyn Democratic Assemblywoman Diane Gordon on charges that she sought a $500,000 single-family home as a bribe from a Brooklyn contractor.

"This type of influence peddling by Assemblywoman Gordon is the worst possible betrayal to the voters who elected her and who expected her to represent them fairly," said DA Hynes. "Nobody is above the law; in fact, public officials should be held to a higher standard."

(Amen, brother. Now to convince clerks and registrars who are displaying and selling our land records all over the world.)

DA Hynes isn't only involved in halting real estate-related crime. Last year he held an interfaith memorial prayer service for child abuse victims, noting that all communities and people are affected by child abuse.

"Let this interfaith worship service be an opportunity for us all to now come together as one community, to remember and to pray for those most vulnerable our children," said DA Hynes. "Child abuse impacts all of us."

Hynes is also noted for creating YCP (Youth and Congregations in Partnership), a community-based early intervention program for Brooklyn’s court-involved and at-risk youths, ages 13 to 22. The program is a collaboration between the District Attorney’s Office and the Brooklyn religious community and includes social workers, churches, and community service providers. In 2006, Hynes proudly attended the graduation of 46 members.

Let's end on a positive note, such as Hynes' announcement of the arraignment of Steven Vassal on a 42-count indictment charging him with practicing veterinary medicine without a license or training and treating 14 animals, including performing numerous surgeries.

Vassal was arrested in February, after an undercover investigation by the Brooklyn DA’s Office, which employed Detective Fred the Cat, a nine-month-old kitten deputized to work on the case.

Hynes' website has an entire section devoted to Identity Theft with tips in general and more specifically to real estate transactions. To learn more about DA Hynes, visit his website by going to: www.brooklynda.org

Lastly, the best possible headline regarding a man such as Hynes:

KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES SWORN IN FOR FIFTH TERM

www.FindMyID.com

Get in touch. We still check records free of charge.

Anatomy of ID Theft

2007-01-03T00:57:00.000-05:00

Research earlier tonight took me on an unplanned scavenger hunt. It began after seeing Emory University's recent computer theft that placed nearly 40,000 cancer patients at risk for ID theft. The information was stored on a computer at Electronic Registry Systems, a business contractor for Emory Healthcare. I wondered about Electronic Registry System; who they are and more importantly, where they are. After all, a lot of our data employment has been outsourced and a quote that haunts me is one by Peter Gregory, Chief Security Strategist with VantagePoint:

"In this, the Information Age, a country like India could disconnect itself from the Internet and hold America hostage--a provocative action that would be tantamount to an act of war."

Take a look at the words of security expert Ron Solecki, as quoted on ITtoolbox Groups and 'Computer Theft and the Victims'. Mr. Solecki bases IT Security on 3 aspects:

Integrity
Availability
Confidentiality

Solecki goes on to list the following:

People. They cause security vulnerabilities and they take
advantage of the security vulnerabilities and other people.

Application. If the network is not designed securely, it will bleed out confidential information to anyone who asks.

Physical. Even if everything else is done correctly, if you have
your server located under the receptionists desk at the front door, anyone can walk in, unplug it, and walk out.

Policy & Procedure (& Enforcement). If everything else is
secured, if there is no policy saying people can and can't do certain
things, then data is going to leak.

And now the news from India, when this past December 27th, thieves fled with two laptops, nine AMDs, four motherboards, five LCDs, 20 DVD combo drive, two DVD RW, eight RAM, two Intel 2.8 Dual Core and hard disk 80GB SATA. To give you an idea of how such a security breach is viewed there, read the words of the computer shop owner.

“When we got to know about the incident we immediately rushed to the nearest police station to file an FIR. But forget about expecting any action, we did not even receive any kind of support from the police. They came to my shop to take a round but could only create a scene and nothing else,” lamented Saurabh Sharma, MD, Gayatri Computers.

Reading all of the above and applying it to our thousands of unguarded county websites as well as data registries such as Emory's, is enough to make one tremble. And it certainly should be.

Lack of integrity. Around the clock, worldwide availability. No policy, no procedure, and lack of enforcement even where there are laws established to protect from identity theft - and that list is miniscule.

Until America requires integrity in security and the citizens demand accountability, FindMyID will continue to search those free-flowing records to let you know what's available online about your family. It's a finger in the dike, but it's better than nothing.

www.FindMyID.com

Home Stolen - Twice!

2007-01-02T09:19:00.000-05:00

A Kentucky couple's home was stolen twice before they even knew about it. Until the retired couple began receiving mail for a man they'd never heard of, there was no indication anything was amiss. Then their bank called.

A fraud investigator from the bank informed them that there had been two new deeds recorded on their home. Unlike a man in Canada recently who was barred from entering his own home without 'permission' from the home thief, this couple was free to stay in the home while things were cleared up.

It should come as no surprise that Security Expert David Bloys of wwwFindMyID.com was able to quickly and easily find this couple's personal information online on their own county websites. Everything needed to commit such a crime, free of charge, and at the courtesy of their own local, elected, officials.

Agent Paul Johnson of the Lousiville, Kentucky branch of the Secret Service said the case illustrates how easy it is to commit such fraud.

"We think that there is a serious problem with mortgage fraud, and there's definitely a problem with identity theft," Agent Johnson said.

Don't wait until you're a victim. Get in touch with me or David Bloys by sending an email to findmyid@mindspring.com We'll check your records free of charge and send a detailed report back to you, along with suggestions on how to remove the information from public - worldwide - view.

www.FindMyID.com

Finding Your ID

2006-12-26T23:29:00.000-05:00

Recently there have been a flurry of requests not only to search records, but also to tell people how we search records. I never know if this is so they can do it for friends and family members, have been ID Theft victims and afraid to offer personal info for me to do it, want to cash in on the privacy industry, or stalk an old girlfriend. Whatever the reason, we're careful with our info. If you'd like to know what your county website is broadcasting about you, be prepared to share some informtion so that we can search properly - and know that you're who you say you are.

www.FindMyID.com

Merry Christmas to All

2006-12-24T17:47:00.000-05:00

Eddi's Service

EDDI, priest of St. Wilfrid
In his chapel at Manhood End,
Ordered a midnight service
For such as cared to attend.
But the Saxons were keeping Christmas,
And the night was stormy as well.
Nobody came to service,
Though Eddi rang the bell.

“Wicked weather for walking,”
Said Eddi of Manhood End.
“But I must go on with the service
For such as care to attend.”

The altar-lamps were lighted,—
An old marsh-donkey came,
Bold as a guest invited,
And stared at the guttering flame.

The storm beat on at the windows,
The water splashed on the floor,
And a wet, yoke-weary bullock
Pushed in through the open door.

“How do I know what is greatest,
How do I know what is least?
That is My Father’s business,”
Said Eddi, Wilfrid’s priest.

“But—three are gathered together—
Listen to me and attend.
I bring good news, my brethren!”
Said Eddi of Manhood End.

And he told the Ox of a Manger
And a Stall in Bethlehem,
And he spoke to the Ass of a Rider,
That rode to Jerusalem.

They steamed and dripped in the chancel,
They listened and never stirred,
While, just as though they were Bishops,
Eddi preached them The Word,

Till the gale blew off on the marshes
And the windows showed the day,
And the Ox and the Ass together
Wheeled and clattered away.

And when the Saxons mocked him,
Said Eddi of Manhood End,
“I dare not shut His chapel
On such as care to attend.”

Rudyard Kipling

Michael Chertoff, Sleep Well...

2006-12-17T20:42:00.000-05:00

I woke up in the middle of the night and CNN was replaying a speech by Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security.

What irony. I had fallen asleep with Chertoff on my mind. Is he a real sort of guy, one who's earnest and hardworking and truly concerned and if the answer is yes, why is he allowing the land registries, court recorders, and clerks to broadcast our private information to the world? Could it be that he, like lots of other people I speak with every day, is truly unaware of this situation, thinking it so ridiculous that it just couldn't happen? I sincerely believe the answer is yes to all of the above.

Chertoff could have quoted blind statistics and while he did a little of that it was explained in detail so common that the most uneducated would have nodded and responded with, "I see" at the end. It was plans, plain talk, accountability, and near the end of his speech there was plenty more where that came from:

People ask me sometimes, what is the -- causes you to lie awake at night? And truthfully, it all -- no matter how I express the answer to that question, it all boils down to this: If there is an attack in this country, I'm going to have to look the American public in the eye, I'm going to have to look Congress in the eye, and I'm going to have to, most important, look in the eye of the people who lost family members in that attack and account to them about whether we have done everything we reasonably could to prevent that.

So I have a very keen, personal sense of responsibility that I share with all of my colleagues in the Department of Homeland Security, and all across the United States, to make the right decision, the sensible decision, not one that simply says, protect everything in a way that's unrealistic, but one that recognizes the real dangers that we face and advances real solutions to address those real dangers.

So that's, in a nutshell, what keeps me awake at night -- my responsibility to do my job, and the responsibility which I share with everybody else in the Department of Homeland Security. It's about balance, it's about clarity, and it's about being sensible.

If Homeland Security ignores the real, constant danger our registries pose by maintaining online records, that will be the one thing undone and the thing that keeps Chertoff awake. I hope you'll join me in making him and all of Homeland Security aware of this danger.

Chertoff ended his speech with this:

This can't be an issue of party, it can't be an issue simply of ideology. It's got to be a personal issue to every American, because we will all live with the consequences of the decisions we make in the couple of years to come.

Amen, brother.

If you'd like to voice your opinion and/or support to Homeland Security, send a letter to them at the following address:

Honorable Secretary Michael Chertoff
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528

Telephone: 202-282-8000
Comment Line: 202-282-8495

You can also send a note online by clicking 'Contact' on www.dhs.gov

Be a part of the solution. It only takes a minute.

www.FindMyID.com

Take It Off -- Take It All Off!

2006-12-14T09:06:00.000-05:00

That's the battle cry of Americans across the nation who are discovering the root of identity theft - their county's online records.

In a story by USA TODAY, Donna Leinwand reported the arrest of illegal immigrants in numbers so large it shut down nearly all Swift & Co. meat packing plants in six states. But the Swift employees weren't arrested solely as illegal workers. Calling it "a massive identity fraud scheme", Immigration and Customs Enforcement reports the illegal workers had "stolen the identity of hundreds of people".

One of the arrested used the identity and social security number of a North Carolina man who died in 2005. The deceased man's sister recently filed a complaint with the FTC after Social Security records showed her brother was currently employed with Swift. Court records did not specify how the man's ID was stolen.

Here's a clue: He clicked.

Everything from death certificates to mortgages, marriage records, deeds, wills, and more are available online in North Carolina and most other states, and all for the taking. Full document images that can be altered with cut and paste options on any computer.

Cabarrus County, NC offers full records without so much as a registration. So does Travis County, Texas, and many states beyond and between.

That's the complaint and concern I shared with Homeland Security after reading the USA TODAY story. Over 1,000 officers, countless hours, and hundreds of thousands of dollars went into planning the massive arrest at Swift & Co. plants. Why aren't our land registries being held responsible as parties to the offense?

"That's a good question," stated an employee in Michael Chertoff's Office.

County recorders and clerks across America would be wise to reconsider posting personal information online before they cause any further damage and are finally held accountable; a costly lawsuit no county can afford.

Take it off. Take it ALL off!

www.FindMyID.com

Find My ID

2006-12-04T15:25:00.000-05:00

It's been nearly a month since the last update but there's a good reason - the requests to check records have increased substantially and between that, work, sleeping and eating, my 24 hours are up.

Often I'll check email late at night and there will be someone else who can't sleep, worried, and wants to know what's been printed online about them. How can you leave that until morning and just drift off?

More often than not, the email requests are containing horror stories of stolen identity and resulting nightmare consequences. These people want to know how and where. And more often than not, their information is found right there in their own county on the land registry website.

I heard an interesting story yesterday from a friend who mentioned a previous job as a fraud investigator with a cell phone company. "A .. what?" I asked? Why would a cell phone company need fraud investigators?

So as not to perpetuate any more crime than criminals have already thought of, I'll limit sharing our (incredible) conversation to ID theft related information.

"Oh, you know," he started, "like when people set up service by either making up a social security number or just swiping one off public websites."

I wanted to dial every register of deeds in America and ask him to repeat that statement to our elected officials who swear there is nothing wrong with what they're doing. But as I've stated many times before, they already know they're front men in this crime. They just don't care.

To catch a thief you have to think like a thief. Thank God the majority of us will never catch up to that line of thinking. The claim of my friend astounded me, though it shouldn't have. If there's a way to abuse personal information, it's being done. I just hadn't thought of cell phone accounts.

Some of you have been kind enough to speak with interested attorneys and I thank you sincerely. Understandably, people who have been victims of ID theft want to remain under the radar after such an incident, but we need to prove that this does happen and how it happens. If your land registry is posting your personal information online, they aren't blameless. They're just as guilty as the guy in the dark alley with his brief case open on the hood of his car and they should, and will, be punished.

If you notice unusual activity on your cell account or any unusual credit activity or new accounts, get in touch. We still check records free of charge and report only to you what we find. Email: FindMyID@mindspring.com

www.FindMyID.com

Earnhardt vs Antosek

2006-11-07T21:26:00.000-05:00

Watching the election results tonight for Rowan County, NC, where Bobbie Earnhardt has a lead and 61% of the vote. So far, 27 precincts have reported in. That's 27 out of 44 so I guess technically, it's still anyone's race.

Bobbie Earnhardt has been the registrar in Rowan County since being appointed in the early 90s. She's an elderly "That's the way we've always done things and I'm not about to change now" kind of woman.

Apparently in a weak moment, a software company executive encouraged her to change and ever since, she's been publishing the full document images of her fellow citizens for the whole world to see, and all for free.

Sally Antosek, her opponent, is a banking executive with Wachovia in Charlotte, NC, and savvy to the dangerous marriage of the internet and finance. She, too, lives in Rowan County and is one of those people who sees a problem and sets out to fix it. Even if the odds aren't in her favor. Even if it's inconvenient. Sally Antosek is a woman who simply will not tolerate injustice.

This just in:
Bobbie Earnhardt: 10,139
Sally Antosek: 5,965

What those numbers really reveal is that there are at least 10,139 ignorant people in Rowan County. Not bad people. Not stupid people. But ignorant people. Because how could anyone even minimally educated vote for a person who defiantly, proudly, places her constituents in grave danger? So we have to assume these people are ignorant to the danger and just plain loyal to the person whose name they know the best or have heard recommended in conversations like this one:

"Well we're voting for that Bobbie Earnhardt, you know, so-and-so's cousin. Loretta's neighbor's Sunday School teacher's friend. You know her, don't you? Or I think you've seen her? No? Well we all sat across her and her husband at Cracker Barrel Saturday night. Wait, that was Bud and Ethel.."

Bobbie Earhardt: 12,051
Sally Antosek: 7,321
Precincts reporting: 34

I spoke with Sally Antosek today and wished her well, and she was as perky and happy as ever. "Oh I've already won!" she said. "My goal was to stop the publishing of online records in Rowan County and that's well under way. Citizens across the county are now demanding that their information be redacted. Class action attorneys are looking into this situation. By faith and persistence and educating the public, we've already won!"

Bobbie Earnhardt: 13,578
Sally Antosek: 8,485
Precincts reporting: 40

Earnhardt has to feel a little bittersweet watching the count tonight. Because even if she wins, she loses, since the problems, publicity, lawsuits, and demands by her citizens will only increase until she takes action - something she has vowed not to do. Her fiercely supportive registrars across North Carolina should pay close attention to Bobbie's big win as their troubling future unfolds before their eyes over the coming months.

Final Count
Bobbie Earnhardt: 14,894
Sally Antosek: 9,630

Look closely at the numbers. Because of Sally Antosek, nine thousand six hundred and thirty people are now informed on how to better protect themselves and are aware of one of their greatest dangers; their current register of deeds, Bobbie Earnhardt.

I placed a call to Sally just now asking for a quote on the outcome of the election.

"Victory is sweet!" was her genuine, bubbly reply.

Considering the change she's brought about in one rural county in North Carolina, I wonder if she'd consider running for president?

If you aren't sure whether your current registrar is a Bobbie or a Sally, get in touch. I'll be happy to check your records free of charge - and let you decide for yourself.

www.FindMyID.com

Secret Lives of Voters

2006-10-31T23:23:00.000-05:00

Is your social security number online for the world to see?

That's the question I ask in all letters to editors across the US. It's provocative and alarming and meant to be, because the potential loss of your most personal, lifelong idenitifier should be alarming and always is to any rational human being.

Such was the body of a letter sent to the local paper in beautiful Salisbury, North Carolina. Let me inject here that the collective response to such an editorial is always either overwhelming agreement from the public - or - a scathing rebuttal letter from some short-sighted local who thinks I'm dissing his local register of deeds.

The latter was the first, swift reply in Salisbury. I had it all wrong about this lady, she was a fine person, who was I to challenge her wisdom, on and on it read. Wow, this guy really took it personally, and who knows why?

Days later I was still wondering if he even got my message when a friend called.

"Hey, remember that guy who blasted you in the Post last week?" she asked. "Yeah," I said, and started to question his intention again but was cut off by evil laughter. "You won't believe it! He filed a document right after that and wrote in bold caps across the top not to publish it, and I JUST SAW IT ONLINE!"

Well, well, well. I'll admit it, I smiled and then clicked for all of 5 seconds before seeing it with my own eyes and there, big as day, was his deed with these words across the top, "PLEASE DO NOT PUBLISH"

Unable to resist, I called him bright and early Sunday morning. His sweet little wife answered and passed the phone to him. "I know you all are getting ready for church so I won't take but a minute," I said after introducing myself.

"First of all, I want you to know I don't have a thing in the world against your current registrar. For all I know she's a fine person who's doing a fine job. The only problem I have is that she's sold out her entire county and putting everyone in danger by publishing their information online."

"Well, all you have to do is tell her not to publish something and she won't!" he huffed.

I went on. "But sir, I'm sitting here looking at a deed you just recorded, online, and it says across the top, 'Please Do Not Publish' and again, I'm looking at it, right this minute, online."

All was quiet for just a moment before he snapped, "I don't care!" and hung up.

Now I should probably tell you who this man was and where to see his comedy of errors, but I won't because I really do care about his security. And whether he'll admitit or not, he does care and now realizes that his registrar doesn't.

If you'd like to know what your local registrar has published about you online - whether you wanted them to or not - just get in touch. I'll be happy to check your records free of charge.

www.FindMyID.com

Good Afternoon, Hot Dogs

2006-10-17T01:23:00.000-04:00

It all began yesterday at the local gas station where I was filling up and staring mindlessly at the little scrolling screen on the pump. But the message was so long that it appeared in parts making no sense at all, and read like this:

Good Afternoon Hot Dogs!

Two For $1 Car

Wash Today!

I didn't mind being being greeted as a hot dog. It's that 2 for $1 car special I hated missing out on.

A few misplaced words can make all the difference when trying to get a message across. Sometimes it's in error. Sometimes it's by design.

When examining disclaimers of land registries, they usually begin nobly with personal words like guardian and security and your safety in mind. Once the warm and fuzzy paragraphs are over, nearly every one of them read like a senior law exam and plainly spoken, warn you that the land registry will not be held for any mistakes, omissions, theft, or any other problems you may encounter because of their actions.

But they will be held accountable, and courts across America are proving it. In a statement by LawyersandSettlements.com on News For Public Officials, the law firm warns, "In several cases to date, private institutions and government agencies that hold and distribute this data have been found to be liable for the inappropriate or illegal release of private information and data, and the havoc it may wreak on the identity theft victim and their family."

The term 'illegal release' caught my attention. Doesn't it make sense that if identity theft is a felony then the people trafficking in social security numbers should also be held responsible? And if your local land registry is selling your social security number, for profit, without your permission, isn't that trafficking?

In Ohio this past year, the Secretary of State's online data was shut down within two weeks after courts there realized the potential volume of lawsuits they were facing. North Carolina's Secretary of State has just recently hired dozens of extra staff to redact sensitive information, further evidence that they know what they're doing to their citizens is wrong and could cost the state millions in settlements.

Which brings me to my last misplaced phrase seen this week in the news by the most honorable US Attorney, George Holding..

"Today's verdict sends a very, very clear message that public servants in North Carolina may not lie to the people, they may not hide the truth from the people, and they may not profit on the backs of the people."

Attorney Holding made the statement following the conviction of former lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings. But doesn't it seem a perfect statement of warning to our public officials who traffic in your personal information?

Take care, hot dogs.

www.FindMyID.com

Freedom of the Press

2006-10-10T21:09:00.000-04:00

A great part of me is still 4 years old, sitting on the sofa with one skinny leg straight out, watching as Daddy turns down my lacy ankle socks and fastens the buckle on my shiny black patent leather shoe. I can smell his Old Spice. Mama is still getting ready but I know she'll smell like Chanel No 5 and face powder and probably for the first time in a couple of days I smell like Dial Soap and depending on how many times I've been hugged that morning, a whiff of Old Spice, as well.

We pile into the aqua Ford Falcon station wagon and head to church where I'll be greeted by Mrs Sipes and hugged repeatedly while memorizing a new Bible verse. Exactly two hours later we'll all pile back into that Falcon wagon and head to Gold Hill to meet with at least 40 other relatives at Grandma's house for pot roast (6 versions), persimmon pudding, and fried everything.

Repeat this scene times 20 years and you can understand why it's ingrained in me that grown-ups tell the truth, there's a solid line between good guys and bad guys, and when people make a mistake, they humbly apologize and move on.

This history also explains my startled reaction this week to true "freedom of the press".

All my life, I've thought that phrase meant the press had the right to say and print the truth and not be held responsible if it offended another's delicate sensibilities. They had freedom in the press. Freedom to tell the truth without repercussion.

I was wrong. I learned this week that for one local paper, Freedom of the Press means they have the freedom to print, or not, spin, or not, and believe or disbelieve regardless of evidence.

This was after receiving a phone call from a man who had seen the blog and wanted to tell me about his experience with online records. His wife's social security number had been stolen, financial havoc ensued, and they realized the only public place it was available was online at the register of deeds office. Like good citizens would, they went to inform their registrar, warn her of other potential attacks on citizens' security, and even took a yellow legal sheet full of safety suggestions they had written up together at the dining room table. They didn't get very far.

The registrar, according to this man, was "the most arrogant person I've ever encountered" and wasn't interested in their dilemma or suggestions but kept repeating, "This is the way we've always done it and I am not going to change."

Imagine his surprise these few years later to read a glowing endorsement by the Salisbury Post who quoted the registrar as saying, "There has never been an incident of ID theft that I'm aware of" (proving immediately she is woefully unaware).

Local guy immediately went to the newspaper office to tell them his story but no one would listen. "I stood there for 45 minutes essentially talking to myself," he said.

Thinking he may not have reached the right person, I decided to call and share a recent home theft by deed situation with the paper. Be blessed if I didn't get the same treatment.

I barely got my name out before the man on the other end spat, "I know who you are!" Alrighty. Well the purpose of my call, "I know why you're calling!" he interrupted again. I forged ahead thinking the incident of home theft would excite him enough as story fodder that he would calm and listen. Wrong again. Halfway through that story he quoted the registrar's belief that there had never been an incident of ID theft related to online records. "Show me one!" he asked.

But I couldn't, only because I couldn't out-talk him. He was loud. Rude. And he would not be persuaded by mere evidence, and even when I did finally get part of the story out he changed his demand to "Show me the police report!"

Problem is, there isn't one yet of that particular incident or at least one that I can find. The police department isn't talking and the girl who overheard the incident as it unfolded at the registry has no idea who the man was. She just knows he was dismissed with a wave of the hand and told to "get an attorney".

For the remainder of that brief, loud, call, we sparred in half-sentences on whether online recordkeeping was mandated by the state. (It most definitely is not.) He still believes it is, which tempted me to shout, "Show me the law!" but I refrained. After all, my purpose is to get the word out, not alienate the messenger. The call ended when he stated we have a "philospohical difference of opinion" and hung up.

What you've just witnessed is a true example of 'freedom of the press'. They can listen or not, endorse who they please, hold them as shining examples, and refuse to acknowledge the truth. That's the real freedom of the press.

No matter who the paper is or where the registry is, if they tell you that your records are safe online and that there have been no incidents relating to online publishing, they're lying and you can tell them I said so.

Thank God for Mama, Daddy, Mrs Sipes, and the internet.

Visit www.FindMyID.com We tell the truth.

Proceed With Caution

2006-10-06T18:39:00.000-04:00

Sometime during the night a security update was installed on my computer. Thank goodness this has been pre-arranged or I might never get them. Anyway it provided quite a surprise when I pulled up Rowan County's Register of Deeds website.

Rowan Registrar Bobbie Earnhardt is in a heated debate during this election and is feverishly trying to assure her citizens that publishing online documents is safe as can be - without putting her own social security number on there, of course. Imagine my surprise when the following message appeared in canary yellow at the top of the screen:

THIS WEBPAGE COULD BE A SCAM.
PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Honestly, what more is there to say? :)

www.FindMyID.com

An Act of Congress

2006-10-05T07:03:00.000-04:00

The other day I read in the news where online gaming had been banned by Congress. But it wasn't, not really. What they actually banned was the payment of banks and credit card companies to online gaming companies. As my son always says when faced with a problem that doesn't respond to the first solution, "There's always a back door".

Reminds me of signs I saw years ago while traveling across the US. One read, "It is illegal to pick up hitchikers" while, a thousand miles later a similar sign might read, "It is illegal to hitchike".

"So which is it?" I asked a friend. "Probably depends on where you are and which laws have been broken the most" she said. Makes sense.

If Congress can't cure gambling addictions they'll make it illegal to pay for it. Clever. If you're dumb enough to pick up a stranger on the highway - or ask for a ride from one - they'll protect you from yourself there, too.

There's always a back door.

I'm exploring viable back door options to halt online recordkeeping. Make it illegal to sell records in bulk. Make it illegal to buy records in bulk. Make it illegal to sell records when you've taken an oath to guard them. Or, hold recorders as parties to identity theft, a felony in most states.

My little saint of a grandmother used to warn, "If you can't listen, you'll have to feel", a threat we heeded despite the fact she never once made good on the 'feel' part. On the FindMyID website, David Bloys offers a link for victims of ID Theft to contact attorneys who have settled millions of dollars worth of privacy breach lawsuits. Now there's a group of guys who know how to deliver the 'feel' part.

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated." United States Constitution

Thanks, son. You were right. There's always a back door, whether the sharp sting of lawsuit, loss of election and reputation, or an act of Congress.

www.FindMyID.com

Still in Denial?

2006-10-02T22:55:00.000-04:00

Just in case you're still in denial about the danger of online recordkeeping, here's a webpage you may want to explore containing the following headlines..

http://www.davickservices.com/Governments_Furiously_Removing.htm

Government Scrambles to Take Personal Documents Offline
Across the country, state and local officials are scrambling to remove documents from the Internet.

States rush to remove data on residents from websites
USA Today
States across the USA are furiously removing sensitive data from official websites.
The task highlights challenges facing states with sites full of personal information on residents, from Social Security numbers to bank account numbers.

Travis County Clerk Pulls County Records Offline
Texas
Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir has halted publishing the County's document images on the Internet, citing concerns about revealing individual citizens' personal data.

County Website Contains Personal Information
King County, Washington
According to Reagan Dunn, a councilman for the county.
"Clearly this is an avenue that people have been using to perpetrate identity theft," Dunn said. "It's not thousands of records; it's actually millions of records, millions of pages of records that we have online here in our index.

New Mexico County Removes Records from the Web
Dona Ana County, NM
According to a report from KOBTV-4, county officials removed the information from the Internet because they feared that identity thieves could exploit the records from anywhere they had online access. The documents are expected to remain offline, according to a county spokesperson.

County Blocks Access to Online Records Amid Privacy Scare
Suffolk County, New York
Judith Pascale, the acting county clerk for Suffolk County, New York recently released a statement announcing that her office has blocked access to its online land records following reports that its constituents' Social Security numbers were contained in various documents.

Judges taken off Allegheny County real estate Web site
Security concerns cited in wake of shootings
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Website Flap Impacts any public office handling records containing confidential data
Butler County, Ohio
The county’s domestic relations judges clashed with the Clerk of Courts Office over the posting of divorce documents on the clerk’s Web site. At issue were Social Security numbers and other sensitive information contained in court documents which are public records and were posted online. That drove the judges to remove all domestic relations information from the public’s view on the clerk’s Web site — over the protests of Clerk Cindy Carpenter

Property records available still, but not online
Law keeps public officials off of listings
San Bernadino County, California
Monday, August 08, 2005 - A state law passed several years ago has San Bernardino County officials blocking property information on the Internet . ..

Scanned documents pulled off Web site
OHIO
The Lorain County Recorder's Office removed scanned public documents from its Web site yesterday in response to a recent uproar over the possibility of identity theft.

County Recorder Removes Imaged Documents from Online Database
Loraine County, Ohio
On March 23, 2006, Judith Nedwick, the county recorder for Lorain County, Ohio pulled the images of public documents from the county office's Website in an effort to protect Lorain's residents from being exposed to identity theft. The records, which have been online since July 2005, allegedly contained Social Security numbers and many people had alerted Nedwick that this may have put them in danger for having their identities stolen.

County Blocks Access to Online Records Amid Privacy Scare
NEW YORK
According to a statement released by Judith Pascale, the acting county clerk for Suffolk County, New York, the county is highly concerned about invading the privacy of others and, thus, acted to safeguard those living in the county from online exposure.

Senator pushes for data inquiry
Florida
Warning that state employees are at risk of identity theft, a veteran legislator said Tuesday that the state must find out if secret personnel records were sent to India, Barbados and possibly China for computer scanning.

Judge orders removal of deeds from Web
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Until Lehrer signed his order, all deeds and mortgages recorded in the county since 1996 were available on the Internet

Reno Co. lax with SS numbers
Reno County, Kansas
The Social Security number belonging to the county's top law enforcement officer, Sheriff Randy Henderson, is available in public records. . .

Personnel data did go to India
Florida
Convergys says it was 'misled'; state wants the company to pay
Convergys and the Department of Management Services admitted Wednesday that personnel data for some state employees wound up in India.

Site makes identity theft possible, lawsuit says
Ohio
COLUMBUS | A Brown County man filed a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati on Thursday demanding that Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell immediately stop posting on his Web site documents containing Ohioans' Social Security numbers.

Ohioans' info online
Responding to a reader tip, the Enquirer checked certain records on Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's site. The Enquirer is withholding the exact type of data to protect people from identity theft. “It is a travesty that our elected officials don’t show more concern for the taxpayers they represent,’’ Engel said. “We as taxpayers need to be assured that our elected leaders aren’t posting our Social Security numbers. We need a guarantee backed by penalties.’

County to study I.D. theft prevention
North County, California
The county itself could be a target, since it collects and retains records that may include Social Security numbers or credit card numbers.

Online Counties Blow CIA Cover
The Chicago Tribune reported last week on how they easily identified and tracked over 2600 CIA employees using the services of an unnamed Internet data miner.

www.FindMyID.com

God Bless the FBI

2006-09-29T06:46:00.000-04:00

Speaking with an FBI agent yesterday about the online records system across the country in general and in North Carolina specifically, and the responses received when people learn of our efforts. The general public is always thankful but with the exception of less than a dozen, the response of the registry system is nearly always hostile.

"Why would they act this way over something so obvious?" I asked.

He laughed, "Any time you have a hostile reaction to such an obviously wrong situation, someone has a lot of money at stake".

Well there's a reason those folks are chosen for their position.

We knew there was probably big money at stake, but there's no good reason for the registry system to be defensive. As someone who's been in nearly every courthouse in North Carolina for years I can understand why these folks would grab whatever opportunity that came along to better their office - even when it may not have been the smartest move.

Most registries seem to be an afterthought in their counties and have been since their inception. They're relegated to the smallest available dusty space and receive a disproportionate amount of county support in the way of taxes. By the time a software vendor or ten came along with a big check, these recorders of deeds saw larger, cleaner, offices, up-to-date technology, and shorter lines.

There's nothing wrong with that and in fact, I'd probably think the same. The problem is that it's gone too far. If registries would have stopped with an index online no one would be complaining. That would assist any attorney or paralegal or title company and give them a head start in their research, but would require crooks all over the world to show their faces inside the offices if they wanted to steal your county's data.

It isn't too late to roll back the clock. True, whatever's out there is out there now all over the world, but the court system is dealing with that breach directly with the software companies - and they do not have to answer to the voters. The registries do, but should know that voters are forgiving and have short memories.

If you're a recorder who sold your county's history of records to one or more data brokers or software companies, it isn't too late to stop. But don't throw good money after bad. And don't place your county office above your constituents' safety.

Publish the index, not the document image with identifying information. Because when there's a hostile attitude over such an obviously wrong situation, it makes me want to utilize the Freedom of Information Act to find out how many times your county's records were sold, to whom, how much you received, and where that money went.

God bless the FBI.

www.FindMyID.com

NCARD Conference 2006

2006-09-26T02:14:00.000-04:00

The North Carolina Register of Deeds 54th Annual Conference is being held this week in Cumberland County, NC. Hosted by other NC Counties and about an equal number of software companies all vying for county business, I find it more than a little unsettling.

Think about it..

You pay taxes in part to fund county services such as the housing of your precious documents which contain sensitive data including, but not limited to, social security numbers, home addresses, and signatures.

The guardians of those records meet with other guardians across the state to exchange information and attend seminars, again hosted by software companies.

The software companies asking for county business are hosts with gifts and cash to bestow on county representatives.

Legal? Apparently so.

Ethical? Hardly.

If you'd care to see what these virtuous civil servants are posting online about you, get in touch. I'll search your records, send the report back to you, and include names, addresses, and phone numbers of where to complain once you see it - and you will want to. Just don't bother them this week. They're all busy in Cumberland County.

www.FindMyID.com

Roy Cooper, I Apologize.

2006-09-17T23:23:00.000-04:00

NC Attorney General Roy Cooper deserves a big public apology from me and I want to make it in a big public way since I blasted him in the same way just a few weeks ago.

I was wrong in believing his efforts were insincere as he traveled about North Carolina warning against ID theft. Turns out we feel exactly the same way on that topic. As early as last year he wanted to close down state and county websites listing sensitive information but was voted down by legislature, a fact I can't understand for the life of me and one that he's still fuming about. You can bet I'll seek out their personal information and send it to the press, though, giving them a taste of the outrage they serve to average Carolinians every day.

Roy Cooper is still touring and spreading the word, and so am I. Neither one of us will stop until all North Carolinians' records are safely back in the courthouse vaults, where they belong.

In the meantime, I'll keep seeking the addresses and social security numbers of every politician, commissioner, lobbyist, and other public officials, and forward on to the press, giving them a sense of the betrayal they serve to average citizens every day.

www.FindMyID.com

Governor Mike Easley

2006-09-12T16:35:00.000-04:00

Esse Quam Videri.

That's the motto of the Great State of North Carolina. It means, "To be, rather than to seem".

This is a fitting time to bring up the motto, given North Carolina's public relations brand of concern on identity theft, and now that the Honorable Governor Easley declared September to be "ID THEFT AWARENESS MONTH".

This proclamation from the same state posting hundreds of thousands of social security numbers online on various government websites.

The same state that tolerates our Register of Deeds system selling resident information to data brokers at wholesale prices.

And, where Attorney General maintains an entire website warning against INTERNET ID THEFT.

Until North Carolina realistically protects its citizens, I'd like to propose a new Latin motto:

di immortales virtutem approbare, non adhibere debent

(We may expect the gods to approve virtue, but not endow us with it.)

If you're concerned about ID Theft (not just seeming to be), get in touch.

www.FindMyID.com

9/11 In the Rear View Mirror.

2006-09-06T23:46:00.000-04:00

FACT
Terrorists' training manuals state 80% of the information needed was retrieved from online records.

FACT
Every day since 9/11, more counties across America go online and publish citizens' land records, gas and utility pipelines, school bus routes, and social security numbers on the internet.

There is a crystal clear line between public record and public access.

Will you require your county recorder to respect that line and act in the best interest of American security?

www.FindMyID.com

Surry County, Where Less Is More

2006-09-01T23:27:00.000-04:00

If you watched 20/20 tonight you already know the debate was whether more money to public schools better educates and prepares children. According to reporter John Stossels and his guests, an increase in funds rarely increases knowledge and in fact, often hinders it. When parents are allowed to choose a school system based on its success rate, schools underneath that successful rate will rise to the occasion or risk closing. Makes perfect sense to me.

The scream for more money is often the hollow excuse when someone needs a reason to deflect attention from their inability to do a job well.

You can see where this is going, can't you.

More isn't always better. Sometimes more is just, well, more.

And when government is in the business of handling your personal documents, the amount of money involved has absolutely nothing to do with how well you're cared for.

Meet Carolyn Comer, Register of Deeds in Surry County, NC. Mrs Comer states her county records will be on the internet when she has the permission of each and every citizen of Surry County.

You must be thinking Surry County is a tiny, rural county with low population and backwater ways. On the contrary. Surry County is by no means the largest area in NC, but certainly isn't the smallest, and if backwater means common sense, they have it in spades.

Thanks to millions of dollars worth of technology in the highly intellectual counties of Durham, Wake, and others, anyone in the world can look online and see where you live, when you moved there, how much you paid for it, the tax value, see a photo, and swipe a copy of your signature while they're at it. Same with pseudo-sophisticated Mecklenburg County just down the road in NC, where Commissioner Chairman Parks Helms said he would have to "think long and hard" before exempting even police officers' home addresses from online publishing. (Apparently he's still thinking.)

Not so in Surry County, NC, The Home of Efficient Government. I just gave them that motto but it fits well. Here are a couple of others.

Surry County, Real Time Government in a High Tech World, who avoids high-tech crime by avoiding fast-talking software salesmen and data brokers.

Surry, The Home of Campaign Promises Kept, where, years ago, Registrar Carolyn Comer stated in her Board of Elections bio: "My top priority is just trying to be a good register of deeds and custodian of our records, safeguarding our records".

Or this one; Surry County, The Good Neighbor Place To Live, since employees in Carolyn Comer's office are instructed to look for sensitive information and then call each and every resident affected to alert them and see if they want it blacked out -- even though the records remain inside the courthouse.

Mecklenburg and Orange and Cabarrus and Rowan Counties can all boast of their World Class status and proactive governmental planning, but you have to ask yourself one big question: Where would you prefer to live?

This is generally where I wind things up and remind everyone to get in touch if they fear their personal information is in danger due to online county websites. But if you live in Surry County, don't write. You have nothing to fear. Carolyn Comer's got your back.

Any other resident in the US may want to get in touch by sending a note to FindMyID@mindspring.com so I can check your records, free of charge. I'll let you know what's online and how you can redact it. If, that is, your county has purchased that shiny, new, expensive redaction software.

www.FindMyID.com

Florida DMV

2006-08-26T02:12:00.000-04:00

This is the sad story of Florida's Department of Motor Vehicles and a truck driver by the name of Roldolfo Fernandez.

Mr. Fernandez drives a debris truck. Florida DMV is pretty much the full load.

Mr Fernandez is a "solid employee" according to his employer, Eileen Damaso of World Waste Services, and earns about 35,000 a year clearing up our messes and hauling away trash heaps. He's also a young man with a child to support.

But he isn't driving these days and won't for at least another month. His identity was stolen and whoever swiped it then used it to obtain a driver's license in his name. Shortly afterward a rolling crime spree began and the real Mr Fernandez began racking up tickets and fines in states all over the Northeast - without his knowledge.

Mr Fernandez can prove he was in Florida when this happened. His time sheets show he was hard at work. Yet Florida DMV spokeman Frank Penela responded only by offering Mr Fernandez an additional 30 days to prove his case, stating, "Under federal law there are no hardship provisions".

House Rep Julio Robaina, a friend of employer Damaso, is trying to help by using his influence as a member of the Florida Transportation Committee, but admits that Fernandez will probably receive a 1 year suspension of his license if he isn't able to soon prove his innocence.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, there were 14,000 people in Miami-Ft Lauderdale who reported falling victim to identity theft last year. Increased use of the internet is said to be a major contributing factor.

"The Internet." Sounds so anonymous, doesn't it?

Well unless they've come up with a machine capable of lurking in a dark alley selling your identity, a more reasonable place to start looking is what's offered on the internet and by whom.

An easy first guess is your local land registry or recorder's office, which publishes full documents online containing names, addresses, social security numbers, copies of signatures, bank accounts, and more. All the things needed to steal an identity and much of what's required by Florida DMV.

If House Rep Julio Robaina really wants to help Mr Fernandez and countless others, he should take stern, swift action to shut down the information pipeline provided to criminals by the county recorder offices. Until that happens, the number of innocent victims will continue to skyrocket and Florida DMV will continue to stick its head in the sand.

For more information and ways you can get involved, go to www.FindMyID.com

Runnin' With The Devil

2006-08-17T23:05:00.000-04:00

Remember that song? It came to mind yesterday when I stumbled onto an unsavory union between your county offices and professional data brokers.

I always wondered why the folks who could stop online records seemed oblivious to the danger while David, myself, and abstractors across the nation work feverishly to bring it to light. Now I know why.

Reading an article on one of the government forums the other day I saw the term "E-Council". E-Council? Oh please don't let it be what it sounds like. But it was.

North Carolina government boldly created an e-council; a mix of folks who study online records and how to increase publication across the state. This group is made up of several government officials and - no surprise here - data brokers. The same data brokers who profit from contracts with the state. The ones you pay taxes to support.

We can stop this if you'll drop by www.FindMyID.com and pick up a petition. Just pass it around the neighborhood, circle meeting, beauty shop, HOA meeting, the lodge, gym, anywhere people gather. Send it to your local registry or send it back to David at FindMyID and he'll be happy to take care of it.

Everybody Loves A Bargain.

2006-08-09T22:07:00.000-04:00

Suppose your husband gleefully confided he got your engagement ring for a fraction of the price at a super sale.

Suppose that new Hummer you've been dreaming of was 75% off on Saturday.

Suppose the dream house in the country you've been saving for is now less than $50,000.

Sound too good to be true? You bet it is. You can also bet the ring is made of glass, the Hummer has a Vega engine, and the house is full of termites.

Still, careless people will always jump at a bargain without ever thinking it through. They don't stop to question if something is authentic or even safe. And that's the dilemma in the finance, title, and real estate industry today.

More and more companies hear of off-shore workers who can access American land records from their living rooms and will compile reports at a fraction of the price - and they jump - never stopping to consider safety factors.

Just a few years ago, one such group of data brokers decided they wanted a raise and if they didn't get it, your social security number, signature, banks accounts, and addresses would be sold on the black market. Eventually the companies caved, and they got their raise.

If you're like me, you're having trouble figuring out which one is the bad guy here.

What kind of person would hold such information hostage? Wait, what kind of person would entrust sensitive information to that kind of person in the first place?

We can all surmise the type of person the data broker is; we've seen their tactics exposed before Congress, and in breaches such as the Choicepoint and Nexus Lexus fiascos.

As unplatable as it may be to say out loud, the bad guy is a partnership between American companies and your very own local land registries. Remove just one of these folks from the equation and we'd all be a lot safer.

But that brings us back to The Bargain. Banks, credit card companies, insurers, and national title companies are gleefully confiding to their shareholders how much they saved and earned by outsourcing the very heart of who you are.

If you don't think it's dangerous, send me an email with your name, county, and state. No more. I'll search public records and send back a full report for your inspection, all free of charge.

www.FindMyID.com

Late-Night Eye Opener

2006-07-25T01:36:00.000-04:00

It's late, the workday is over, and I've spent the past few hours scouring online county websites across the nation for the folks who requested we search their records. The night is mild so there's a fan in the window, and isn't that sound just like a lullaby? I never hear it without getting drowsy.

But it's become a habit to search the internet for just a few minutes each night before heading off to bed, seeking new law, or abuse of citizen records, or anything I can pass on to www.FindMyID.com for the newsletter.

A long day and the drone of a window fan was no match for what I saw tonight.

The North Carolina Bar Association publishes a paper called Law Practice Management and nestled among such helpful titles such as "Building Client Loyalty" and "Ethics" was the eye-opener:

"Beware Of The New Identity theft Protection Law!"

This lengthy dissection of NC's Identity Theft Protection Act of 2005 should be required reading for every North Carolina citizen. Since it's late and you just want the gist of it anyway, I'll scroll down and share their position entitled "Management of Public Records".

According to the article (and North Carolina law), two notable exceptions to the 2005 Identity Theft Protection Act which actually require release of identifying information are:

6. Any recorded document in the official records of a county register of deeds.

and

7. Any document filed in the official records of the courts.

Huh. I'm not feeling safer yet. How about you?

Send your name, county, and state to FindMyID@mindspring.com and I'll be happy to check your county - anywhere in the nation - and let you know if your information is available online.

Tell your family, friends, and neighbors about us. This is a free service performed only because, frankly, what your county is doing to you is wrong.

Very important -- If your county does not publish documents online, it's equally important that they hear a hearty and frequent Thank You!

If the only people they ever hear from are data brokers, they'll respond to the bully demands of data brokers. And as we've just seen from the law article above, the data brokers have plenty of help on their side.

The World Is Watching

2006-07-22T18:14:00.000-04:00

It looks like all the world is watching - and for all sorts of reasons.

Thank you BJ, The Virginia WatchDog. Her newsletter informed thousands and then drove them to www.FindMyID.com and then this, our accompanying blog.

Letters began pouring in this morning from nearly every state and all of them asking how to check their county for online records. If you haven't read BJ's startling newsletter, visit here:

http://www.opcva.com/watchdog/

According to my computer, other countries are also frequent visitors to the blog and I can only imagine why. I'm not talking about the lovely hills and valleys of the United Kingdom or Spain or Canada or others who have the same concerns about their privacy and respect for ours. I'm referring to the few offending countries who have created a lucrative national market and are earning billions of dollars from selling our signatures and more.

They're likely watching to see if their free info pipeline is about to close. The answer is yes. You've strip-searched Americans of their privacy and dignity long enough. And to Canada, UK, Spain, and others, beware - once they've finished with us, abuse of your privacy can't be far behind.

Let's not forget the data brokers and their dirty little role in this. Without them, there would be no questionable data business. These are the same fat corporate executives who sat in front of US Congress and flatly refused to answer whether they used illegal tactics to gather private information. Care to hand your social security number over to that type of ethic?

Several government computers have visited. It's difficult to tell their exact location, but I sincerely hope it's the same officials we've contacted who are trying to gauge public participation. Perhaps they'll take note of the influx of interest and finally take action.

But since they're watching, this is probably a good point to tell them that political action is now secondary. Record numbers of Americans are learning for the first time that their sensitive information has been posted for the world to see and for data brokers to abuse. They are not taking it well.

Petitions are being written, passed around, delivered, posted online. Tax offices and land registries are being called and visited. So are politicians, and they all have some tough questions to answer. I certainly wouldn't want to be in their shoes, because there's no good or reasonable answer for what they've allowed to happen to their own citizens.

If you haven't visited yet, check out www.FindMyID.com

We'll check public records for you, free of charge. You'll also find a link there to inform your neighbors, friends, family, and others. Another link will take you to a law firm who's interested in representing your invasion of privacy. And if you're so inclined, there's a request form for a community awareness program you can present or even request someone to do it for you.

Spread the word.

Good News and Bad News

2006-07-19T00:33:00.000-04:00

Good News: Spoke with the reporter who's investigating county registries and asked when his article might appear since it wasn't in the paper this past weekend. Turns out there's more than first thought that needs a closer look and also a few developments since we first spoke with him. Well that sounds worth waiting for.

Bad News: An abstractor calls me every so often from his home office and asks if I'll check judgments for him while I'm out. Translated, this means he's searching title online and has become what I call a Barcostractor; someone too lazy to get out of his Barcolounger and search title properly.

When time is tight, I ask friends who are headed to areas where I need work if they'll check judgments for me and they've never refused, God bless 'em. Same here, I'm happy to do the same for them because we all know each other, respect each other's work, and know how an unexpected glitch in title can throw you anywhere from 3 hours to 3 days behind with no warning whatsoever.

My new policy is to check judgments for these folks only and not the ones who call from the comfort of their homes asking if I'll check for something in my work area while they sit a hundred miles away and solicit those orders. My orders. Orders that would be mine if they didn't undercut fees, speed search online from home, and if I didn't help them by getting their work out faster.

Think about it; these folks are no different than the title plants we all complain about. They work outside their service area by searching online and getting schmucks like me to improve their turn times if I will just do them a "quick favor if you're near a judgment computer?"

An attorney in Kannapolis, NC, once commented that he wouldn't even use a paralegal to do the preliminary search for him. Nothing against paralegals, but in his words, "I don't have a product. All I have to offer is my reputation. If a mistake takes that away, I'm out of business."

We should all be so careful with our professional reputations.

Search properly. And search inside the courthouse. It's where all records - and conscientious abstractors - belong.

Fast Facts

2006-07-16T12:36:00.000-04:00

*Amy Boyer and Rebecca Schaeffer, two unrelated and totally innocent young women, were brutally murdered as a direct result of their private information being published online.

*The vast majority of county clerks and recorders are not required to publish their residents' records over the internet. It is done only as a matter of convenience.

*Using a blank deed and stolen copy/pasted notary seal, actual home theft is a rapidly growing crime, costing homeowners thousands of dollars to recover their own property.

*Phoenix leads the nation in identity theft victims. Maricopa County (which includes Phoenix, Arizona) was the first to publish records over the internet.

*Foreign terrorists use 'public' records published online to create more than 80% of the training manuals used to target Americans.

*After a federal judge's family was murdered in her Chicago home, over 100 judges petitioned the county to take their information offline.

*Tarrant County (Ft Worth, TX) began publishing records online in 2003. Two years later, Dallas - Ft Worth ranked 4th in the nation for identity theft.

*In 2005, Americans began filing class action lawsuits against government agencies who published their records online. So far this year, multiple suits have begun with hundreds more in preliminary stages.

For more information on any of the above stories, go to www.FindMyID.com

Charlotte Police Chief Darrel Stephens - An Apology and a Promise.

2006-07-15T14:26:00.000-04:00

As if police work isn't treacherous enough, now our law enforcement officers have to watch their backs for another danger - Mecklenburg County Commissioners.

Mecklenburg County officials estimate the real estate and mapping websites, which expose officer's names and addresses, each received about 63,000 hits - this month.

County officials have the audacity to defend the websites by noting that no other NC city or county government exempts law enforcement officers.

That's the same logic used by four year-olds whose defense for playing in the toilet is "But you never told me not to play in the toilet."

To any rational human being, public access to law enforcement officers' personal data is a clear danger. If that wasn't clear before, then it certainly is now; Chief Stephens stated the home of one of his men was broken into and the suspect gained his address from the register of deeds. This wasn't an isolated incident, by the way.

It's disgraceful that Mecklenburg County jeopardizes the safety of the rest of us. But when Commissioner Chairman Parks Helms casually states the county will have to "carefully consider any exemptions" for law enforcement, he has crossed the line.

Chief Stephens, I apologize for the lack of respect by Mecklenburg County officials.

Chairman Helms, you drew the line in the sand.

I'm crossing it.

Watch this spot.

You Ought'a See The Other Guy!

2006-07-15T02:39:00.000-04:00

Roy Cooper, Attorney General of our beloved North Carolina and generally a fine fellow, the same man who's been personally manning trade show booths all across NC to warn citizens about the dangers of identity theft, threw a sucker punch.

A few weeks ago, it was discovered that hundreds of Catawba County school kids' social security numbers were found online on what was understood to be a password-protected website. The school system was horrified and immediately pulled the information offline and began notifying parents.

But they didn't have to.

In 2005, Democrat Senator Dan Clodfelter of Charlotte, NC, sponsored a breach notification bill written by Roy Cooper's office. The sucker punch came in the form of NC government exempting itself from notifying residents whose identity may be compromised.

Oh they require it of banks, supermarkets, fine department stores everywhere and anyone else in business; just not of themselves.

Senator Clodfelter's response was cavalier. "We never get everything right when we first go at it. That's why we meet every year."

Well in the year since you all met, Mr. Clodfelter, over 88 million nationwide have
become victims of identity theft. Or to put it in more serious language, 88 million voters.

But you have to give it to the Senator for responding, since Roy Cooper's office was (and still is) silent on the subject.

And they have a lot of questions to answer. Why did you publish North Carolinians' private information online? And now faced the danger, why do you continue to do so? Are you aware of how many common documents in these offices contain social security numbers for thieves, physical addresses for stalkers, and complete household inventories inside separation agreements for burglars?

FindMyID.com is determined to inform every North Carolinian of the danger these government websites pose.

When that happens, Roy Cooper will be the one with the proverbial big black eye.

Meet The Press --- Check.

2006-07-08T16:09:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's interview with the Independent Tribune went well. Very well. To say the kind reporter was surprised at all I'd produced by clicking around the local land registry websites would be an understatement. The article is scheduled for print next weekend.

As soon as I left the newspaper office I called a few friends who had asked to let them know how it went. No one expected much response and in fact, were surprised I had gotten a response at all from the press.

It was (and still is) my belief that 'the press' no matter who or where they are, aren't aware of this beast of a story until one of us presents it in the startling detail we see every day. So responses from my paralegal friends on the phone all went something like this: "You're sure he's reporting on it? Did he actually SAY he'd write the story?"

Looking back through archives of the Salisbury Post for similar local situations reminded me of a year or so ago when Rowan County's Register of Deeds, Bobbie Earnhardt, defended her position to the city council. Did anyone even read that series of articles?

According to Mrs. Earnhardt, one of the area's real estate agents complained after the county website was taken down because she had to drive "16 miles each way" just to collect documents "and with today's high gas prices, too!"

Well God forgive us all.

If we had just realized we were trading American security for the inconvenience of Bobbie Earnhardt and her friends, obviously we wouldn't have gone so far.

Bobbie Earnhardt's band-aid of a solution in Rowan County was to use a password and username to access the records. Whew. Since safe, local, honest residents are the only ones who want access to the documents, we'll all sleep better at night.

My message to Bobbie Earnhart: You're up for re-election, maybe that will force you to re-think your position. I challenge you to stop selling out your neighbors and friends, and provide some realistic security.

I also challenge you to provide the Salisbury Post with an IP log of visitors to your website. If common courtesy to your neighbors in Salisbury hasn't appealed to you, perhaps reading an IP log will appeal to your common sense.

India does not need free access to Rowan County records. And if India isn't on your IP list, I owe you lunch at College BBQ and a public apology.

Making A List...

2006-07-05T18:35:00.000-04:00

"Enough is enough!" I said. If our back-slapping elected officials aren't going to do anything about this then by golly I am. My career is beyond repair anyway, thanks to outsourcing of *your* personal documents. What do I have to lose?

My first call was to the local newspapers. Fortunately, one investigative reporter called back out of curiosity. It wasn't an easy sell since the term 'ID theft" has become about as common as 'compassion fatigue' in the news. But I gave him just enough local dirt to spark interest.

The list of names and social security numbers I have to hand over reads like a Who's Who of ________ County. (Names will follow...after Friday's interview.) Doctors, lawyers, the police chief, local sheriff, every judge except one, all with maps to their homes and identified by social security number. And all courtesy of our local land registry and their handy website. Maybe this crowd will make enough noise to get something done.

Is your name among The List?

Check out www.FindMyId.com and we'll let you know.

Or, you could just wait for the weekend paper.

Your Personal Independence Day

2006-07-04T13:06:00.000-04:00

Freedom is a warm and fuzzy word as long as it allows us to do as we please and requires little effort. We all know its true meaning and witness daily the sacrifice our countrymen make to assure it.

So when did YOU last contribute to America's freedom?

One simple way with huge impact is to call your local land registry and ask if they publish your records online. If so, demand they that stop immediately and remove all online record-keeping.

While this may seem trite, you have to ask why we're putting American soldiers in harm's way every day when terrorists have documented that 80% of their training manuals were created using America's online records.

On behalf of just one soldier, Do Your Part!

Happy Independence Day.

Another Victim...

2006-07-03T23:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I received a request from a lady in Texas to search her public records. She was pretty sure there was nothing revealing online but since we offer a free service, she figured why not check.

What she got was an eye-opener.

From the comfort of my home in NC, I compiled and returned a shocking report on this citizen. Her name, former name, address, former addresses, maps to both, dates of marriages and divorces, photos of her home, how much she owed on it, copies of her signature, and much more. All courtesy of Texas public records.

Are you sure your identity is secure? Get in touch, I'll let you know.

www.FindMyID.com

Think Your ID Is Secure? We Found It Online.

2006-07-02T22:40:00.000-04:00

You'll never guess who put it there.

All across America, county offices are succombing to the demands of title companies, major financial institutions and data brokers to sell their stash of community idenitities at wholesale prices. Using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), they take county registries of deeds and recorder offices to court - and often win. Or, they simply hand over enough cash to satiate your local registrar and walk away with your life history.

Many states have passed laws recently to redact this information but the public is generally unaware of it. Probably because the public is also blissfully unaware that their own county offices have sold them to the highest bidder.

The redaction forms are a joke, anyway. They direct the public to find their documents, then list within the body of the document where the sensitive information is located - and then ask you to list that information. Problem is, the list of approved information for redaction is so limited that the law is essentially useless.

Think this doesn't affect you? Send me a note with your name and county, no more. I'll reply with everything your county land records has posted for the entire world to see. That's right - the entire world - meaning anyone, anywhere, with computer access. Your name, address, photos of your home, spouse's name, social security numbers, bank numbers, judgments and liens, separation agreements which list complete inventories of your home, who got what in the divorce and where the kids are going this weekend - all courtesy of your local land registry.

For more information, go to www.FindMyID.com