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Dizzy Thinks: Driver Identities, Used for Credit Fraud
Dizzy has obtained some more data about the number of registered keeper enquiries to the DVLA.
Let's have an example of a beneficial use of this service. Personal Injury Solicitor has case of man and motorbike being cut up and seriously mashed by road hog. Witnesses all hand details to the dazed biker and give only old fashioned looks to the lunatic automobilist. The motor is undamaged. There is no trail of an insurance claim. The solicitor uses the DVLA service paying a cost recovery fee and is able to pursue the maniac.
There is a small chance that - since Dizzy has revealled that few if any records kept of disclosures and no registration - this service might be used by identity thieves to get pieces in the jigsaw needed to get credit.However, balancing the benefits with the disbenefits surely the benefits win hands down? Introducing a tracking system and registration of all enquirers might stem the floodgates Dizzy and his parliamentary accomplices have opened. But that could get up their noses even more and inevitably lead to an increase in the costs that must be recovered.
Story for images: biker was in this case responsible.
CLARIFICATION: The Data is Dizzy "three comments in three minutes" Thinks' not the governments; though I'm not sure LoL said it was theirs?
6 comments:
no the benefits do not win hands down. The data is not the Government's it is ours.
Of course, my arguments is predicated on the belief that the state exists by virtue of the individuals that make it up.
Your position starts from the assumption that the state exists a priori.
Take note that the Government has just put out a press release about the perils of Identity Theft.
Thanks Dizzy.
A key here is thinking about how the data might be abused.
When I worked in the marketing industry the cost of a single name and address record was generally 10p, with costs increasing for more targeted data. The cost of £2.50 rules out using it for sending out scam mailings, it means that there are cheaper ways to obtain data for potential identity theft. If the DVLA also gives out date of birth this could make it a more likely ID theft target.
The question remains whether there are situations where a private individual needs to be able to obtain the details of a vehicle's registered owner and a more official body is not able to deal with the situation.
Good point Andreas. Where I think the data could be used would be in relation to road rage and other vendettas. And possibly for the preparation of nicked-to-order TWOCKING and aggravated burglaries of rich people. Then again you could just go to where you already know rich people live. But a DVLA search would enable you to find the Bentley you saw on Oxford Road and nick that instead of searching aimlessly through hundreds of drives with Maseratis and Beamers.
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