Identity Theft Made Easy

Sensitive personal financial information belonging to Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney recently ended up on sale online for $125, exposing the inner workings of a credit reporting network that operates largely on an honor system and is rarely policed. As part of a story on the vulnerability of personal financial data, The Boston Globe purchased Romney’s TransUnion credit report — listing his credit card accounts, credit card numbers, credit limits, and payment history — from a Colorado company calling itself Goldshield Inc.