It's Business After All

Underground rings:

It's got the makings of a great 21st-centuryspy movie: high-tech criminals,secret underground sites, and internationalintrigue. Unfortunately, doctors, thisdrama is unfolding on the computerscreen, not the movie screen, and thecrooks aren't fictional characters made upby a Hollywood screenwriter. This iswhat happens when criminals join forcesto participate in one of today's most popularcrimes—identity theft. Ever wonderwhat happens to stolen identity informationfrom database companies like LexusNexus? Nowadays,thieves hook up using the Internet, worktogether to execute the perfect online robbery,and then sell the personal data onWeb sites and in chat rooms that cater toillegal trafficking. Their favorite targetsare banks—online and offline—and theirmost sought-after goods include creditcard numbers, debit card numbers, andbank account passwords. For more informationon identity theft issues, visitwww.privacyrights.org.