PHOENIX, ARIZONA (The Arizona Republic), May 26, 2005:
Anyone who has tried to thwart identity thieves knows it's hard to completely safeguard Social Security numbers and other personal information. Plenty of consumers also know it's frustrating to learn that the federal government is a big reason for this problem.
One area of special concern for seniors is Medicare cards, which clearly list patients' Social Security numbers.
"We all know Social Security numbers are the key element to ID theft," said Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard. "And the big offenders now are Medicare cards."
That's why Goddard is sending a letter to Arizona's congressional delegation, urging them to persuade Washington to issue new Medicare cards with less-sensitive numbers.
The attorney general will outline his initiative during a talk at 10 a.m. today at the Desert West Senior Center, 6501 W. Virginia Ave. in Phoenix.
If the states, businesses and individuals can persuade the government to scale back its reliance on Social Security numbers, that would be a big step against ID theft, Goddard said.
An Arizona law that went into effect this year proscribes the use of Social Security numbers in many commercial dealings, but it doesn't apply to Uncle Sam.
Goddard also said he'd like to see other governmental entities, including counties, get tougher about posting residents' information online.
Examples include Social Security numbers on marriage licenses and divorce papers and signature images recorded for real estate transactions.
Goddard said he didn't see how making such information easily accessible over the Internet benefits the public.
"But it's still up to each county recorder to decide what they want to post," he said.
By Russ Wiles
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