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Have you ever needed or wanted to know if someone had a criminal record? Now consumers can use a tool private investigators have been using, right from the comfort and privacy of their own home and for a fraction of the cost.

Have you ever needed or wanted to know if someone had a criminal record? Some states offer this information free of charge on web sites, but the available information, the access and the format varies from state to state. Private investigators have long held tools not available to the general public to access criminal records.

But of course, they charge top dollar for their services. Now, consumers can use a tool that private investigators have been using, right from the comfort and privacy of their own home (and for a fraction of the cost).

CriminalRegistry.org is the quickest search engine for instantly accessing detailed reports that may include:

*Felonies, Misdemeanors & Sex Offenses
*20 years address history and phone numbers
*Comprehensive background check
*National arrest & court warrants
*Federal & Tax liens
*National Federal & State Tax Liens
*National Federal & Civil Judgments
*National Federal & State Bankruptcies
*Distinguishing Bodily Marks
*List of Relatives with Addresses
*Roommates, Neighbors and/or Associates
*Comprehensive Background Check
*Age/Date of Birth
*Alias/Maiden Name
*Property Ownership
*Marriages/Divorces
*Death Index Check
*Police Records

What do you need to know to get started on criminalregistry.com?

To get started all you need to know is a first and last name and a state or you can do a nationwide search. To narrow down the potential list it is helpful if you have a middle initial, approximate age and city. That's it. It's easy and fast.

Why use criminalrecords.org?

People have many good reasons for using criminalrecords.org to protect themselves and their families. Patricia had met two "potential" men to date through an on-line dating service. Each had been supposedly screened and matched with Patricia based on her own unique profile of requirements, interests and priorities. She had taken the step of speaking to each on the phone and both phone calls had gone well. Both men sounded too good to be true but Patricia wanted to be careful before she met with either of them even in a public place. With a small investment in criminalregistry.org Patricia gained some very valuable information. One of these gentlemen had a criminal record and a bad financial history that just didn't match up with what he had told her about himself.

More about Criminalrecords.org:

• Over 15,000 visitors each month
• Information is from both public and private sources
* Updated daily
* Public records on file: 1,247,528,873
* Database photographs on file: 1,592,733
* New records added in the past 7 days: 642

All transactions are ONE-TIME ONLY transactions. Premium - Unlimited Criminal Searches for 1 Month are only $39.95. A Basic - One Time Criminal Report is $19.95. You can add Unlimited People Search and Reports for $9.95. Criminalrecords.org offers a 100% guarantee and No-Hit No-Charge Policy guarantees that if your query yields no result we will not charge your account.

Get rid of that nagging feeling in minutes with criminalregistry.com. It's easy. It's private. It's immediate and sometimes, it is just criminal not to know!

College students make up the largest single demographic of all identity theft victims, well over 30%. Do you know a college student or high school senior who needs to know why they are at high risk for identity theft and what they can do about it?

College life is a special time in a young adult's life. Often college students are no longer living at home, yet they're not completely on their own either as they live communally in apartments or dorms. For the first time many have taken out their first loan, a college loan and many college students are first time credit card holders as well. During what many will later call "the time of their life" these young adults are at the highest risks for a range of things from athlete's foot to traffic accidents.

There's often other risky business going on in colleges and universities as well. Identity theft is a real threat for unsuspecting college students as well. College students make up the largest single demographic of all identity theft victims, well over 30%.

In the past three years alone, over 8 million college students, faculty and staff have had their information stolen from within the school setting.

Universities are being called on to be accountable for the common use and casual security of social security numbers. Many are responding with new Identification systems like randomly assigned numbers and more secure data storage policies but families and students themselves are going to have to do their parts to protect the more vulnerable college students as they are the most affected by the consequences.

College Students are High Risk? Why?

* College students are new credit applicants, who generally still have "clean credit" and this makes them an attractive target.

*Half of all college students are receiving pre-approved credit offers in the mail daily, which also increases their risk of being targeted.

*Communal living means less privacy and protected space. Often even computers are shared.

*Colleges often use social security numbers as a means of identifying students and even posting grades and that leaves large numbers of employees and even student employees with access to social security numbers- the key to unlocking and unleashing a new identity.

*Only 33% of college students surveyed balanced their checkbooks each month. Without a close scrutiny of accounts, college students are unlikely to spot identity theft in time.

*College students often carry around "their life" in their backpack or purse, which really increases their risk if it is stolen.

Identity Theft 101: Protect Yourself

*College students have to balance checkbooks down to every pint of, ah, pizza and carefully check statements. It's a great habit for life anyway but it can help you catch identity theft before it has gotten too out of hand.

*Consider a small safe or lock box for the dorm room for important papers with personal information.

*Consider a shredder and shred all identifying correspondence, especially any credit card offers and then recycle.

*Install the best security software on affordable on your computer and make sure you know how to use it.

*Create strong passwords and keep them well hidden. Don't share toothbrushes or computers.

Do you know a college student who needs to take Identity Theft: 101? Awareness is a very important part of staying protected so be sure to forward this to your favorite freshman or special senior.

And the winner IS ....... Financial Expert Suze Orman and Identity Theft Protection Service team up to knock out identity theft. Find out more about their identity theft kit, how it works and how it can protect you.

For many when we hear the words "financial expert," we think of Suze Orman. Suze Orman is an acclaimed personal finance expert. If you haven't yet been inspired and enlightening by Suze Orman, here's a little a background.

Who is Suze Orman?

*Author of seven New York Times Bestsellers in a row

Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan
Women & Money
The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom
The Courage to Be Rich
The Road to Wealth
The Laws of Money, the Lessons of Life
The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke

*Host of The Suze Orman Show Saturdays on CNBC
* Two-time Emmy Award winner
*Winner of more Gracie awards than any other recipient
* 2007 top female motivational speaker by Business Week
*2008 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine
* Contributing editor to O, The Oprah Magazine and The Costco Connection

Suze Orman has now partnered up TrustedID, already a leading provider of Identity Theft Protection to offer a new edition of Suze Orman's Identity Theft Kit. Suze Orman's Identity Theft protection kit has been praised as being comprehensive and cost effective.

Who is TrustedID?

TrustedID has been offering comprehensive and proactive identity theft protection to individuals, families and businesses too. They've offered over 12 forms of safeguards with some unique features like the IDFreeze, On-Call Protection and the Identity Threat Score.

New information on identity theft is already available for the year 2008 and the numbers aren't encouraging. According the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft affected over 10 million Americans. That's an increase of almost 2 million victims per year and identity theft continues to be the fastest-growing crime in the United States.

According to Scott Mitic, CEO of TrustedID-

"Identity theft remains one of the most insidious crimes in the United States. Unfortunately, the reality is that most consumers aren't currently taking steps to protect themselves from this burgeoning epidemic. With Suze Orman's new Identity Theft kit, consumers can easily stay ahead of thieves and proactively defend themselves from this devastating crime."

Features of The Suze Orman Identity Theft Kit:

*Covers purchaser and a second adult, children and elderly parents
*Secures credit reports
*Secures medical reports
*Secures credit card accounts
*Secures bank accounts
*Offers anti-spy ware
*Constant monitoring of public, private and breached databases
*Assist in creating fraud flags
*Backed by a 1 million dollar guarantee

The current depressed economic situation is concerning as well. During times like these, there is often an increase in crimes of fraud and theft.

According to Suze Orman-

"During these tough economic times, people have more reason than ever to be concerned about their credit and the possibility of identity theft. In order to avoid falling prey to identity theft, consumers need to apply a combination of proactive defensive and offensive measures to protect their personal information and financial assets. My new kit provides consumers with all the necessary tools to combat the growing problem of identity theft."

Suze Orman Identity Theft kits are available beginning in January 2009 for $44.95, which is a good deal. Many identity theft prevention products are closer to $100.00 a year. 2009 may not be a great year for identity thieves now that they are up against this tag team of financial expert, Suze Orman and leading identity theft prevention company, TrustedID.

Have you noticed a change in your spam box on your email? Or on your computers spam blocker system? Take a look the next time you log in to your email, you may be surprised by the increase in spam messages, but you are not the only one. Find out about the increase in spam and how it affects us all.

Considering my postings here on Identity Theft Secrets.com it's no wonder that I would have my spam blocker set on high on my email as well as on my computer's hard drive and my antivirus suite protection. It is also evidence of my high level of awareness regarding spam that I (1) have a separate email account for "junk" mail, newsletters, shopping promotions, coupons or anything else that can simply wait until I get to it and (2) that I would actually notice the number of spam email messages I receive. Imagine my surprise to note a trend since the first of the year; one that does not bode well for consumers. My spam message folder has more messages than ever before, 10 times more messages. While I would usually get about 10 a day, I am now receiving approximately 100 spam messages a day. Do I know for sure they are spam? Yes, pretty sure, but just to be safe I do at least glance through the names and subject lines prior to a quick empty of these worthless and potentially harmful messages, to my identity and my computer.

I am not the only victim of this increase in email spam and scam messages. According to MessageLabs, (a market leader in the messaging and web security market, owned by Symantec) there has been an increased number of spam and scam email fraud messages delivered since the beginning of 2009. According to MessageLabs, in the first week alone nearly 10% of all email messages carried with them some sort of hoax, similar to "Congratulations New Year Winner" or "You are a lottery winner." This increase in scam messages is three times higher than the number of messages in 2008.

The numbers so far this year prove this increase in spam. According to MessageLabs research, spam email messages increased from 2.0% the last two weeks in December 2008 to 10.2% Jan. 1-7, 2008. It's nice to know that my email is "average."

"The new year means new opportunities for spammers," says Paul Wood, Senior Analyst, MessageLabs.

What is this increase in fraudulent messages due to? One reason for the increase in spam emails may be due to the current economic climate. As more and more people find it difficult to get credit, identity thieves may also find it more difficult, and the "pickings" of those identities to steal fewer and far between, so they turn to sending out more messages. After all put out a big enough net, you are bound to catch a few fish. Another reason for the increase in these types of messages may be that people are still falling for these scams. No matter how many times it may be shown on the news (television, articles, or newspapers) many people are lured into the scheme or figure that it could never happen to them (see Old Scam has New Tricks )

Not only are there more email spam messages, but they are actually being written better. They are easier to read and the tricks to lure you into providing information or accessing a webpage are becoming more believable. Don't be one of those who are a new victim to an old scam or caught in the net thrown out into the world of the wide wide web.

Find out how much a search costs using Inteligator's StateRecords.org, where they search for information from and how it may help you find the person you are searching for. It also provides help with information to protect or fight back from identity theft, fraud and other crimes.

Are you desperate to find someone from your past or just want to know more about an old acquaintance's life today? Maybe it is a first best friend forever, a special neighbor, a favorite babysitter? Maybe it is even a first or second love and you don't want to have to go on one of those "surprise, guess why you're really here" talk shows to see your old flame and find out how they are doing today in front of the whole world. Maybe you've tried MySpace and FaceBook with no luck or maybe you don't want to go that route because you really don't want anyone to know you're looking.

At staterecords.org it's not all about long lost loves or neighbors.

Amy was soon to be honored with a highly coveted award and she really wanted to find, thank and invite that special teacher that she credited with heading her work in the right direction. Her teacher had been a mentor and a friend, so clearly she didn't want to hire a private investigator to go look for her. (Honesty, many private investigators use the Inteligator staterecords.org services to do their leg work.) Amy also needed information fast and this was the perfect scenario for using staterecoreds.org.

Karin on the other hand needed services like those of staterecords.org to get the process of child support enforcement moving along. With the thousands owed to her in back child support, it was worth the fee to get the exact pinpoint of his newest address so that this delinquent Dad could be served sooner.

While Inteligator's staterecords.org cannot be used for any unlawful purpose, there are many appropriate reasons beyond the merely curious or desperate to say hello including:

*Fraud prevention
*Asset verification
*Location of criminals, witnesses, beneficiaries or heirs
*Research for debt collection
*Child support enforcement
*Compliance with federal, state or local laws or regulations

What can staterecords.org provide besides an address? Staterecords.org can provide reports that may include:

*Criminal Records
*Court Record Search
*Inmate Record Search
*Marriage Record Search
*Divorce Records
*Birth Record Search
*Phone Number Search
*Address Search

A staterecords.org search may also include:

*Bankruptcy Search
*Sex Offender Search
*Property Records
*Arrest Records
*People Search
*Relative Search
*Legal Judgments
*Tax Liens

What do you need to start a preliminary search?

A first and last name is all that is required to find give you preliminary list of possible matches that you may want to know more about. A middle initial, city, age and state are also helpful and can narrow down the search. You have to be a U.S. citizen 18 years of age or older to use staterecord.org services.

The Advantages of using staterecords.org

With staterecords.org, consumers get results:

-from thousands of sources, both public and private
-instantly
-without the high cost of a private investigator
-without leaving your home
-delivered with privacy right to your computer

Staterecords.org offers a variety of pricing options from direct searches for $4.95, unlimited checks for one person for $9.95 and comprehensive background checks for one person $14.95.

Today's society is a transient one. It is so easy to lose touch. Individual institutions like schools, employers or landlords are rightly reluctant to share information. If you want or need to find someone for lawful reasons, Inteligator's staterecords.org can help you privately and right away. You don't even have to leave your home to find someone miles and miles away.

AARP and Google have joined together to provide help, hints and tips for staying safer online. In this video, "Sharing Content Online Safely, AARP and Google expert Maile Ohye discusses the most important tool to keep you safe when sharing pictures, images, and videos online

With the end of the holidays it is quite fitting that we look at staying safe while sharing content online as many of use probably have many pictures, videos and messages to share with our friends and family, some of which celebrated with us and some which were unable too.

The internet offers in many cases a free, efficient way of sharing information with our friends and family, especially those far away, with the opportunities for free storage and immediate connections. As a result throughout the year and especially after major holidays, people have much to share. For example, I recently sent links of pictures to Grandma and Grandpa so that they could see their grandchildren opening their gifts and playing with them.

Many sharing service providers have offered settings and controls to protect you and your family. By understanding the settings and controls on the sites you may use, such as Facebook, MySpace, Shutterfly or Photobucket, you can keep your information safe.

The most important thing to remember when sharing information online is to set your controls each time. Indicate if you want pictures, photos, images or videos to be available to the public (anyone can view them); to friends (only those you indicate); or to be private (only you can view them). Forgetting to set these controls is like forgetting to lock the door when you leave the house.

There is much to deal with after the passing of a family member, the last thing you think you would have to do is deal with credit applications. But that is just what this family had to do, as their deceased family member's identity was stolen and used to apply for AMEX and BestBuy among other credit cards.

Identity theft accounted for over 250,000 Federal Trade Commission complaints last year making it the leading reported consumer complaint for the eighth year in a row. The most common form of identity theft is the fraudulent use of a victim's existing accounts but the most serious forms involve the opening of new accounts using a stolen identity.

Consumer advocates have argued long and hard that "instant credit" standards allow identity thieves to easily steal money with a stolen identity. Slowly the government is responding by requiring the credit industry to take extra steps to verify applications when an address is different than the one in the applicant's main credit file. This new FTC rule just went into effect November 1, 2008.

It may be the reason that the Chapgar family's phone was ringing repeatedly to verify that their son Zal Chapgar had applied for new credit cards, although he was recently deceased. The deceased aren't eliminated as targets of identity theft and apparently the grieving aren't immune to the consequences either.

The Chapgar family of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania was grieving after the death of their son. Imagine the pain of almost immediately receiving multiple phone calls from creditors, including American Express, Citibank and Best Buy, to verify if their son had applied for new credit cards.

"We thought it was a freak thing," said Zal's mother, Kerban Chapgar . "It was only after the second call that we started to pay attention."

What is a family in mourning to do to avoid not only the hassle but also the pain of having a deceased loved one's identity stolen?

"It's probably one of the last things you want to think about in a situation like that," said Tim Klein, a spokesman for Equifax, one of three major credit-reporting agencies.

The Chapgar family placed a "fraud alert" on their son's credit file as soon as they realized that his identity was being stolen. Consumer advocates recommend taking this step to put an extra speed bump in the road to slow down identity thieves.

"The fact of the matter is, there's a lot of identity theft that's in the pipeline that hasn't been discovered yet," said Paul Stephens, policy director of Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a California nonprofit monitoring credit reporting.

How to place a fraud alert:

To place a fraud alert for 90 days consumers can contact any of the three main credit-reporting companies and the contacted company is then responsible for alerting the other two.

*Equifax, 1-800-525-6285 equifax.com
*Experian, 1-888-397-3742 or experian.com
*TransUnion, 1-800-680-7289 or transunion.com

Additional steps that need to be taken when a relative dies:

To ensure that a relative's credit file is marked as "deceased," credit-reporting agencies recommend these steps.

*Notify the Social Security Administration of the death.

*Send a copy of a death certificate, police report or notarized letter to all three credit-reporting agencies.

*Notify all businesses that the person did business with of the death and provide a copy of the death certificate once it is available.

New regulations put in place by the Federal Trade Commission should help slow down or prevent some instances of identity theft but grieving families may want to consider taking these steps on behalf of their loved ones.

Find out how anyone can find out about you -- and more importantly -- how you can find out about anyone. CIS Nationwide used by private investigators on a variety of tasks and reasons offers services to consumers. Save yourself some time and money and do your public records search yourself.

Consumers have a variety of reasons for wanting to find out more about other people. These may range from just plain curiosity (about a new boyfriend, significant other, new person in your life) to a need to find out information regarding a potential tenant or employee.

CIS Nationwide has provided public records for years. They gather information from thousands of both public and private sources that can be delivered right to your computer screen quickly. This service has over 32 different online products including CellPhoneRegistry.com and complete searches ranging from a basic people search to comprehensive criminal and background reports.

CIS offers direct one-time searches, unlimited searches and comprehensive background checks as well unique services such as reverse phone number checks.

Direct Search information from CIS may be obtained for:

*Bankruptcy Records
*Birth Records
*Business Records
*Comprehensive Background
*Court Records
* Criminal Records
* Death Index
* Email search
* Federal Records
* Legal/Civil Judgments
* Marriage/Divorce
*People Search
*Property Records
*Relatives search
*Reverse Cell Phone search
*Reverse Landline Phone search
*Reverse IP search
*Sex Offender Search
*SSN Validation search
*Warrant search.

Note that CIS does NOT disclose social security numbers but can only verify accuracy.

In addition to direct searches, CIS Nationwide offers a comprehensive background report. Availability of information may vary so CIS lets customers know that these are examples of information that MAY be available in Comprehensive Background Report:

*State Criminal Check
*Nationwide Criminal Check
*Marital Status
*Phone Numbers
*Birth date
*Address History
*Neighbors' Names
*Neighborhood Info
*Aliases
*Sex Offender Check
*Possible Deceased Records
*Relatives and Associates
*Property Information
*Liens, Bankruptcies, and Judgments

You have to be a U.S. citizen 18 years of age or older to use CIS National services. Consumers can only use this service for the reasons stated above and CIS states that services MAY NOT be used for the following reasons:

* To locate people to develop a news story.
* For purposes that might cause physical or emotional harm to the subject of the report.
* For individuals involved in an adoption.
* To gain information on well-known/high-profile celebrities or government officials.
* To determine a consumer's eligibility for (a) credit or insurance for personal, family, or household purposes; or (b) a government license or benefit.
* For purposes that are not within your stated normal course of business.
* For pre-employment or tenant screening.
* Due to various inaccuracies in public records, our services should not be used for skip tracing purposes.

CIS wants their services to only be used for lawful purposes, which may include:
*Fraud prevention
*Asset verification
*Location of criminals, witnesses, beneficiaries or heirs
*Research for debt collection
*Child support enforcement
*Compliance with federal, state or local laws or regulations

Price Information for CIS services:
An example of costs for CIS Nationwide services based on their CISNationwide.com web page includes:

People Searches $4.95
Unlimited checks $9.95
Background Checks for one person $14.95

These services are currently available with a one time billing fee. However, they also offer a membership, a sort of, pay as you go system where your membership fee is used as needed to conduct the searches you request. When your membership fee fund is exhausted, CISNationwide.com will then automatically renew your membership with the credit card number on file. Consumers should not that it is important anytime you sign up for a "membership" for any product, be sure to cancel when you are finished using the service or watch your "balance" if you want to continue using the service but want to be sure you are not billed for additional services.

Note: If you have been a victim of identity theft, you can take advantage of the CIS Opt Out policy.

The Opt Out Policy for CISNationwide.com is as follows:
Opt Out Policy

An individual may request opt-out if one of these conditions exists: You are a state, local or federal law enforcement officer or public official and your position exposes you to a threat of death or serious bodily harm; or you are a victim of identity theft; or you are at risk of physical harm; or you have evidence the record is incorrect or expunged.

To opt-out, submit the following information: A written explanation of the reason for removal request; and all request must include:

Full Name and Date of Birth

Alias names, if any
Current address
Previous addresses
Phone number
Email address

Specific details of records you are requesting not be disclosed.

Include a print out of the records you wish to have suppressed.

Copies of any applicable court orders, if any.

Send a signed request and accompanying documentation to:

CISWORLDWIDE

Opt Out Compliance Dept.
Toll-Free Fax: 1-877-471-6992

Private investigators use CISNationwide.com. If you need to do some private investigating on your own, CSI offers fast answers right to your computer. Of course, there are many good and lawful reasons to use such a service and it is important to heed the user agreement and use it only for purposes that CIS services state are acceptable, for their protection and your own.

Can LendingTree.com help you get the loan you need - maybe. But is it the loan you deserve?

LendingTree.com is an online sight that offers loan shopping and financial resources. At LendingTree.com, the user puts in their financial information and their loan needs and Lending Tree shops member banks that then compete for your loan business.

Services offered at LendingTree.com:

User Tools- Lendingtree.com can help you estimate the value of your existing home, estimate how much home you can afford, and find a local realtor to facilitate the home- searching/buying process.

Personal Loans- This includes loans for mortgages, home equity, auto, debt consolidation, student loans, and other personal loans.

Low-interest credit cards- LendingTree.com also offers help for obtaining low- interest credit cards.

Commercial Loans- If you're a small business owner who is looking for some extra cash, lendingtree.com can help you by finding an installment loan, line of credit, mortgage, business credit card, or receivables financing that fit your company needs.

Help Center- If you're uncertain about the meaning of financial terms and want to learn more, you can enter the help center to learn more about:

-Adjustable rate mortgages
-Tips for buying a new car
-Financial aid process for students
-How much home equity you can borrow
-And more financial topics.

LendingTree.com is not an actual lender. They are shopping for a loan for you. They do work with big name lenders like Bank of America, Bank One, Citibank and MBNA America and over 650 real estate agencies.

LendingTree.com also offers a phone number if you prefer to share your information over the phone with a live representative rather than enter it into the computer.

Costs at LendingTree.com?

There is no charge for browsing the sight and checking out the links on helpful financial articles. You can also set up an account free of charge. You'll only be charged if you choose a service or loan.

Restrictions at LendingTree.com:

Users should know up front that Lending Tree has some restrictions and limitations regarding loan amounts. For example, with auto loans, the loan has to be at least for $7,500. For home equity loans, it has to be at least $10,000 and for personal loans, at least $1,000. The areas with no limits would include business loans and mortgages.

LendingTree.com does offer some special deals such as offers for $250.00 toward closing costs and free credit reports.

LendingTree.com promises convenience and an easy loan process. Do they deliver?

The pros to LendingTree.com are that the site is easy to use and does offer some helpful tools. The cons are that the loan offers aren't particularly special and there aren't enough of them. Most users got 2-5 offers. In the end, users and financial analyst find LendingTree.com to be a rather average financial site that will find good deals for some but not all. LendingTree.com is so easy to use that it is worth giving a try to see if you can get a lower interest rate but have a comparison, such as one from a local credit union to see if this is the best deal available or not.

It's Amazing How Much a USB Drive Can Hold...Until it is Stolen (And Then It's Just Scary). Instances of information being lost or stolen while companies were using USB drives. How do you keep your USB just for your use?

USB drives (Universal Serial Bus drives), also known as flash drives or thumb drives have completely revolutionized data storage. These small, portable, inexpensive, reasonably indestructible devices and can hold a ton of information. The latest, like the Pico USB Flash Drive, is not much bigger than a thumbnail at 31.3 x 12.4 x 3.4mm but with has an amazing 8GB onboard. These features make removable media devices cost-effective and conveinaint for individuals, companies and institutions.

USB Drives similar portable data storage devices are used in many popular electronic devices including PDAs, laptop computers, mobile phones, game consoles, digital audio players and digital cameras.

But for all of the advantages of devices such as USB drive, the risks of theft of the devices followed by other fraud or identity theft is high as well. The devices are so small, they are easy to conceal when stolen. It is also difficult for owners to know if they have simply misplaced it, accidentally lost it or if it was indeed stolen.

In one story from Japan, apparently, it was all three. A memory stick, 2,000 yen and an airline coupon were stolen. The theft of the yen and the airline coupon was reported but the theft of the memory stick was not because they "didn't want people searching on the internet for the data." Supposedly the recovered USB device was borrowed and lent once again to a sergeant who left it on his desk where it was accidentally tossed. The data was reported to be "sensitive" but not "touchy."

There are other examples here in the U.S. and abroad including:

Flash drives holding sensitive and classified military information turned up for sale at a bazaar outside Bagram, Afghanistan earlier this year. The Army does not know how they were lost and has tightened security for flash drives according to an e-mail message from Lt. Col. Thomas Collins from Afghanistan.

Wilcox Memorial Hospital in Lihue, Hawaii, had to inform 120,000 patients that a flash drive containing their personal information including names, addresses, Social Security numbers and identifying medical record numbers was lost. The USB drive has yet to be recovered and the drives, which had only been used for a few months by the hospital, have been banned.

Names, social security numbers and grades of 6,500 former and current University of Kentucky students were reported stolen after the theft of a professor's flash drive. The drive has not been recovered and according to a spokesman, the university is re-evaluating its use of flash drives.

Security Firm Vonti's Survey on USB Drive Theft & Loss Show That-

*More than half admitted that confidential information is unprotected on USB drives.

*Twenty percent report that at least 1 USB drive is reported lost at work each month.

* Because they are inexpensive, many missing USM drives go unreported, as compared to a missing laptop tech professionals say.

Bob Heard, CEO of Credant Technologies, another data-security company says, "An employee can buy a $25 thumb drive and download $25 million worth of information on it, and there's nothing most companies can do to stop it."

Some concerned companies have even admitted super-gluing USB ports shut so data cannot be downloaded from PCs and laptops. Others, like Prudential, encrypt any confidential data that goes on portable storage devices.

The concerns about the theft of data reach down not only from military and other institutions and companies but to individuals as well. With the ability to hold so much private information on such a small storage device, individuals should be concerned as well about protecting what's on their USB devices. Is your information sensitive? You may not have "sensitive" information on your USB drive, but remember when it comes to identity theft, a little goes a long way. Would it put you at risk for identity theft or other crimes of fraud if it were stolen?

Do you or your company use USB drives to store and share information? Share with other Identity Theft Secrets readers how you protect your USB Drive and your information, in our comments section.