Online Records May Aid ID Theft

The problem took a giant leap in the public consciousness after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when it was revealed that several hijackers had used fraudulently obtained IDs to open bank accounts, rent apartments and board planes.

The federal government responded with a law in 2004 that mandated prison sentences for people who use identity theft to commit other crimes and prohibited Social Security numbers from being displayed on newly issued driver's licenses. A presidential task force called on federal agencies last spring to "reduce the unnecessary use" of Social Security numbers, which it called "the most valuable commodity for an identity thief."

But with a few keystrokes, anybody can view the deed to Jamie and Sarah Raskin's house in Takoma Park.

The state senator said that when he refinanced the house in 1994, he gave no thought to the two Social Security numbers printed near the bottom of his property deed. But in March, he received a call from Betty "B.J." Ostergren, an activist from central Virginia who pushes lawmakers and government agencies to take sensitive personal data off state-run Web sites.

"She said, 'Do you know I was able to find your Social Security number and other private information about you and your wife online?' " Raskin said. "I was shocked, and I briefly flipped out, because, you know, these are days when everybody's privacy is under assault."

Ostergren's site, http://thevirginiawatchdog.com, offers dozens of examples of public figures whose Social Security numbers have appeared in public records in recent years. They include former CIA director Porter J. Goss, former Florida governor Jeb Bush (R) and former Virginia attorney general Jerry W. Kilgore (R).

"The government loves to spoon-feed criminals by putting these dern records on their Web sites," Ostergren said.

Raskin said he plans to call for legislation that would give Maryland residents the right to request redaction of their Social Security numbers from public records.

"The public certainly has the right to know who owns a particular property," he said. "But I don't think the public has the right to know what that person's Social Security number is."

Gansler cracked a joke when he learned recently that his number appeared on a real estate document he had signed in 1996.

"You can steal all of my money that you want. I don't have any," he said.

Then he turned serious.

"Our laws need to be tightened up," he said. "There's no legitimate reason why somebody should be able to surf the Internet and gain another person's Social Security number."