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Private Information Could Be On Govt. Web Sites

POSTED: 11:06 pm EDT October 4, 2006
UPDATED: 12:01 am EDT October 5, 2006

The tools of the identity theft trade that could lead to your identity being stolen may be on Central Florida government Web sites, according to a Problem Solvers investigation.

The report featured Anita Bering, who nearly lost her identity and good credit when someone snatched her name, Social Security number and birth date from her marriage license.

The license was posted on the Orange County controller's official records Web site.

The would-be identity thieves opened accounts in her name with the Navy Credit Union and then applied for a $20,000 loan.

Local 6 reported that the check was about to be mailed when the Credit Union located the real Anita Bering and called her.

"What could have happened terrifies her," Local 6's Tony Pipitone said.

After the incident, Bering checked her marriage license on the Orange County controller's Web site.

"Lo and behold, my original marriage certificate with the incorrect birth date had nothing blacked out on it," Bering said. "Both my and my husband's Social Security numbers were there for anyone to see for free."

The private information should not have been visible, according to Orange County Comptroller Martha Haynie.

"On marriage licenses, my understanding is, that has been our practice for a while to cover those up as they are recorded and if something got missed, then that is our error," Haynie said.

Local 6 News reported that Haynie is paying a vendor about $500,000 to cover up all Social Security numbers by January 2008.

"We are as careful as we know how to be about that stuff," Haynie said. " There are a lot of really, really smart bad guys out there these days. But we're doing our best to stay one step ahead of them."

Bering said that is not enough

"It's just hogwash," Bering said. "I can't believe my own government gave away my identity to somebody. They gave it away for nothing just because someone was incompetent?"

Pipitone recommended that residents search their names on the State Official Records Web site located at myfloridacounty.com .

If private information is found, it should be reported and the number should be blacked out in less than 24 hours.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.




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