It's not hard for someone to find your Social Security number, your mother's maiden name or your credit card balance. If you don't already know this, you do now. The Washington Post's "Security Fix" column recently tested services offered by two websites that sell access to the kind of information you would like to keep private. And what he found was pretty disheartening.

The columnist paid $3 each to find Social Security numbers of four volunteers, not to mention their most recent street addresses and birthdays. Another $3 payment got their mothers' maiden names. That's just the tip of the iceberg. There are commercial services that sell massive amounts of consumer data collected from public sources such as mortgages and tax records. So don't be surprised if your ID gets stolen one of these days. It's out there for the pickin'.

For several years, members of Congress have tried and failed to gain support for legislation to block the resale of Social Security numbers or sensitive consumer data. It's anyone's guess what information about you is out there for sale. So be careful, and if you see something that doesn't look right, it probably isn't.

For more on how anyone can get your ID:
- check out this WashingtonPost.com article

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