Social security numbers for sale on the Internet

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. When someone gets our personal information, they can ruin our credit and wreck havoc with our lives. <br><br>News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright

Friday, February 13th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. When someone gets our personal information, they can ruin our credit and wreck havoc with our lives.

News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright explains how easy it is to get people's private information.

Itâ€™s very easy to get someoneâ€™s social security number. If you have access to a computer and are willing to pay around 50 bucks, and if I was a bad person, I could get that number.

All of us are at risk. I was amazed how easy it was to buy social security numbers online. No one asked me to send them documentation about why I needed it; they just took my money and sent me the social security numbers. Once a person has your social security number, they have your whole life.

Tulsa resident Patti Barker: "I rip up everything, I shred things. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do, so who's not protecting me?"

Our investigation certainly raises questions about whether we need new laws.