Pretexting:
Stealing identities and jeopardizing personal safety;
Illegal sales of cell phone and other personal records
compromises safety of victims of domestic violence,
sexual assault and stalking
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8
/U.S. Newswire/ -- Cell phones can be a lifeline for
battered women and victims of sexual assault and
stalking. But when cell phone and other personal records
are stolen and sold for commercial gain, those lifelines
can be used to track and terrorize victims. The issue of
"pretexting", the practice of obtaining personal records
under false pretenses, has gained national attention
over the past few weeks as reports surfaced of stolen
cell phone records being sold over the Internet. Today,
the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Product
Safety and Insurance held a hearing to discuss our
nation's response to better safeguarding consumer phone
records. Cindy Southworth, Director of Technology and
founder of the Safety Net Project at the National
Network to End Domestic Violence, testified at the
hearing that pretexting poses a deadly risk for
survivors of violence.
"The theft of personal
information is not only a violation of privacy, it is a
crime. This breach of security is devastating for the
average individual who may have his or her identity
stolen and credit destroyed," said Southworth. "But for
a victim of domestic violence or stalking, this theft is
not just financially or personally devastating -- it can
be fatal."
Cell phone records are
rich with information about the cell phone's owner --
identifying who the owner calls and where those calls
are made from. By purchasing a cell phone record from an
information broker who has used pretexting strategies to
obtain the information, a perpetrator can determine if a
victim is contacting a local domestic violence program
for help or where she may flee, making it impossible for
her to seek safety.
A quick search of the
Internet reveals hundreds of these information brokers
that regularly steal and sell consumer information,
including phone records, the address associated with a
P.O. Box, social security numbers and unlisted phone
numbers. Illegal access to these and other consumer
records pose a great danger to survivors of violence and
the public at large. Southworth urged the subcommittee
to develop a comprehensive approach to safeguarding all
consumer records.
"Because pretexting
phone records is just one small piece of the larger
problem of stealing, mining, and selling personal
information. A multi-faceted approach would offer the
best protection to all consumers. State and federal
agencies are encouraged to use all existing and emerging
laws to hold individuals and organizations accountable
for committing fraud and other crimes," said Southworth.
"NNEDV applauds Congress for addressing the wide-spread
problem of pretexting and selling of stolen personal
data."
Safety Net: the
National Safe and Strategic Technology Project is a
program by the National Network to End Domestic Violence
Fund (NNEDV Fund) to educate victims of sexual and
domestic violence, their advocates, law enforcement and
the public on strategically using wireless and other
modern technologies to increase personal safety and
privacy. Safety Net launched in 2002 as the only
national program focusing on the intersection of
technology and domestic violence. Safety Net has trained
more than 14,000 advocates, law enforcement officials
and prosecutors on how technology can be used to
increase the safety and confidentiality of victims of
domestic violence. Safety Net also tracks emerging
technology issues and their impact on victim safety,
working with local, state and federal agencies to amend
or create policies that enhance victim safety and
confidentiality.
------
The National Network
to End Domestic Violence Fund (NNEDV Fund) is a
501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing public
education, training, and technical assistance to
maintain and develop the professional expertise of
advocates working to end domestic violence. The NNEDV
Fund strives to strengthen advocates as organizers and
activists in the tradition of social change movements.
For more information, please visit
http://www.nnedvfund.org.
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