Identity Theft, Email | featured news

A single malicious email sent to workers at the South Carolina Department of Revenue last August enabled an international hacker to gain access to 3.8 million tax returns.

To minimize identity theft, the Obama administration is urging Internet companies to agree upon and adopt a standard, reliable identity-verification system that people can use for any website. Each person would choose one company, perhaps their e-mail service provider, to handle credentials for sensitive personal or financial information on other sites.