I find that the number of professionals that attribute identity theft to the Internet to be alarming. Last week I was speaking to a journalist who said 20 years ago people were sealing identities of deceased through information in obituaries, but now . . . the Internet. At cocktail parties, if I mention information security the discussion turns to network or computer security.

 Even average consumers share the misbelief. During my consumer workshops on identity theft, consumers often comment, "I don't have to worry about ID Theft because I don't use the Internet." So, should we attribute identity theft to Al Gore?

A client of mine was in the Windy City last weekend to take in a show. The relaxation of the weekend getaway was interrupted on Saturday evening when her purse containing personal identification was stolen at a restaurant just a couple of hours before show time.

She immediately contacted a credit card company to notify them of her stolen credit card. The credit card company informed her that her credit card had already been used fraudulently for a $300 purchase at a major department store and that the thief attempted to use her credit card multiple times thereafter, but it was denied. This credit card fraud and identity theft all took place within 20 minutes after the theft!

An increasing number of consumers are reading those privacy statements posted on web sites as consumers become keenly aware and concerned about their privacy and the security of personal information they entrust to online merchants. Some surveys have shown that a surprisingly high number of consumers (43%) read those privacy statements.

So, what do you call that thing you post on your site? Is it a notice or is a policy?

One of the most common misunderstandings about identity theft is that it is limited to fraudulent use of existing credit card accounts or bank accounts (commonly referred to as existing account fraud). Consequently, many believe that if you don't have a financial account, you can't be a victim of identity theft.