Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

In my early 20’s I bought real estate in a depressed area north of Boston in Lynn Massachusetts. At 20, that’s all I could afford. Lynn was then and is now known as “Lynn Lynn the City of Sin, you don’t go out the way you come in.” Lynn’s a hard city known for drugs and prostitution. It’s also the home of various biker gangs known as “one percenters” The theory is 1% of all people come out of their momma just bad.

No surprise that the Boston Channel reports a Lynn couple was accused of selling the identities of at least 16 Transportation Security Administration workers at Logan International Airport.

Police said the ID data was allegedly taken by a female TSA contract worker who is related to one of the two Lynn suspects.

A TSA spokesman said the agency takes the ID theft very seriously.

“TSA can assure the traveling public the release of this information does not compromise aviation security,” TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis said.

TSA said the agency is helping workers obtain free credit reports so they can ensure their personal information remains secure, Davis said.

Well Ann, that’s step in the right direction but it won’t protect the identities of the victims. They need credit freezes, credit monitoring and at least a vacation to Maui to get over all the stress.

What’s more bothersome about this is the fact that this is a breach of airline/airport security that goes way beyond identity theft that isn’t being discussed. Just like THIS GUY got access to a corporation’s facility with a fake ID, a terrorist can do the same with a stolen TSA ID. To steal the ID of a TSA worker gives one access to the airport then to luggage and more. There needs to be a tighter system that prevent this. We need effective identification that makes another’s identity useless to the thief.

1. Get a credit freeze. Go to ConsumersUnion.org and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.
2. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft protection can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing stolen luggage at Logan on CBS Boston