PRIVACY CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE GENEALOGY RESEARCHER : SENIORS ARE THE TARGET OF CRIMINALS : GRANDPARENT and LOVE SCAMS

PRIVACY CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE GENEALOGY RESEARCHER

It seems to me people are willingly - even joyfully - in the spirit of trust and sharing - giving over information that anyone can access.  This is simply not acceptable in today's world.

I've never posted my research findings on any database and ask that others who receive information from me do not either. Even those databases that suggest you only post the dead can easily be linked to those who are alive. In particular, death certificates revealing cause of death on Find A Grave tm are beyond irksome; no privacy for the dead? Or the family of the dead?

Then there are the prompts: for you to share photos and memories to the world. You really shouldn't... 

Sadly, criminals are using all these details to find and target individuals.

Several years ago a neighbor of mine told me his parents had sent their entire life savings to Mexico because a caller told them that their grandson had gone to a wedding there of one of his frat brothers from UCLA and had gotten drunk and in trouble.  This was the bribe the officials needed to let him out of jail there, the caller said.  Why linger in a rotten jail for years, pay Mexican lawyers, ruin his college career and life?  The caller knew the grandson's name, his fraternity, their names, and many other details that can be found on genealogy databases.

Would it be even more convincing if the caller knew what a person died of or what grandma looked like? Claimed to be at an event that you posted about?

Perhaps even more horrendous was the scam that a senior friend of mine - an intelligent woman with an education and years of experience as a teacher - got caught up in.  She had sent a significant amount of money to a middle-man/banker/broker in another country, knowing that the country is full of corruption, and did so on a monthly basis for two years. The purpose was in order to get a man out of that country. She had met the man in person. They talked about getting married. They were frequently in contact. I didn't ask why he didn't just travel to the United States on a tourist Visa and get married here or why she thought such a large sum was needed. Sure there were serious questions I had.  

However, came the day that she had no more money to send and she called her potential husband and told him so.  At that point the plan was for him to travel to Mexico. He was silent on the other end.  The middle-man/broker/banker was angry and told her she would not get any money back, having missed a payment.  A family member of hers - a business executive yet - believed in this story enough to offer to send the money. However, within a couple days she was getting text messages from two unknown parties - phone numbers from two different states in the U.S. but men with accents from this other country - and one said "Your man is married and his wife has put a contract out to execute you. But if you send me $2000 I will not kill you." This amount was even more than the monthly payment she had been making. These callers had her phone number, they knew her name, they knew she was a teacher. 

Of course this had to be connected to the man she thought to marry. She called the local police who told her to block the number and there was nothing they could do about the money sent to another country. Sadly, because this is a love scam, she believed the execution threat was a scam but not the monthly payments.  She went back to work in order to continue earning enough. 

Unfortunately there are those criminals who target people who believe in love and are kind and generous. These criminals leave you broke, heartbroken, and fearful.

Please - I caution you - be especially careful when the genealogy database prompting you to give up your photos and memories and much else - HAS NO OPTION FOR YOU TO TAKE THOSE THINGS DOWN.

2025 C Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot  All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights.

SOCIAL SECURITY APPLICATIONS and CLAIMS INDEX - USEFULNESS BEYOND THE OBVIOUS!

As identity thieves and frauds have been using the Social Security Death Indexes for criminal activity, over the last few years there have been some removals (Rootsweb's Free Indexes, now owned by Ancestry.com) and restrictions. 

To sincere and honest persons intent on genealogy research this has been upsetting.  However, as someone who has been subject to the use of such information for criminal activity, I myself have been wondering when our United States government will begin to restrict the use of all the free or low cost information available on the Internet and on specialty databases that have citizens so easily spying on each other; the exact behavior we loathed back in the day when we heard citizens of the Soviet Union were encouraged to do so.

Socially, it's a real turn off to meet someone for coffee for the first time and have them tell you all the things they found out about you on the net. 

I went to a historical site one time where the docent, who apparently took pride in her family's involvement in the region, looked at my signature in the sign in book and then asked, "And what is your maiden name?"  (I told her "that IS my maiden name!) She was a bit much.  Now, I hold my own family cards closer to my chest.

I've also had the experience of people calling relatives, lying that they are my friend, and then saying that they need my current address and phone number.  And these dummy relatives gave that information out! 

But since ANCESTRY WORSHIP - GENEALOGY BLOGSPOT is for the sincere and honest researchers, let's talk about the UNITED STATES SOCIAL SECURITY APPLICATIONS and CLAIMS INDEX, which, as provided by Ancestry.com databases, covers the years 1936-2007.


First, you can still send away for the ORIGINAL APPLICATION. Those of us who used to send away to the Social Security Administration for ORIGINAL APPLICATION copies when the cost per each one was relatively inexpensive and reasonable were also upset when the fees went up to about $36 - $38 each.  The lesser fee was for those applications in which the SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER of the applicant was known.  Using a database you might be able to find that number even if you were not a close family member.  (If the information is over 75 years old, it will generally still be available to anyone for the asking.)  Of course, in filling out the application the government knows who is asking for it, so if there is criminal behavior involved that is documented.  That's good since the sincere and honest researcher is an ethical person who is not using the information for criminal activity or spying.  (Anyone involved in PROFESSIONAL GENEALOGY RESEARCH SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE FAMILY THAT IS PAYING FOR THEIR SERVICES EXPECTS THEM TO RESPECT THEIR PRIVACY AS WELL!)
So -
THE APPLICATIONS and CLAIMS INDEX is a VERY VALUABLE database. 

It is useful beyond the obvious.

Let's say that you use it by NAME of the deceased and it has this information (a fictional example).

MARIANNA ROSE SCMIDT
born  November 15  1925
Germany
Father  Greyson Andrew SCMIDT
Mother  Rose Ann CRABBE
Death November 15 1999
Original
June 1941
May 1943  Marianna C. SMITH
May 1945 Marianna Rose WEAVER
August  1950  Marianna R.  ROSCETTI
Nov 23 1999  Marianna R. ROSCETTI

Here is the information you might be able to deduce from what appears to be "just the facts, mam, just the facts."

Marianna was born on November 15, 1925 in Germany.  However, her parents may or may not have been citizens of Germany.  They might have just been on a vacation or visiting relatives when she was born.  It might be interesting to check the ship records, incoming and outgoing - Germany and the United States where we might find the family.

It follows that she was living in the United States and likely an American Citizen when she went to work in about June of 1941 and made her first application for Social Security as at this point payments to Social Security would have been made from her employer to the government in her name. 

A couple years later, it's possible  Marianna decided it would do her some good to CHANGE HER NAME from the clumsy Scmidt to the name Smith and that she is using her mother's illustrious Crabbe surname as her legal middle name.  Of course we will want to prove that before accepting it.

There may or may not have been a legal name change and if so, it may be on file.  Checking around the 1940 census, we can possibly learn if her parents were living, if she was living with them or elsewhere, and where she might have processed a legal name change.  We also know that we have to check for Marianna under the name Smith from now on. 

It's also possible that the change in name to Smith was because she married.  We would want to check the marriage indexes.

In May of 1945 it is very possible that Marianna did marry someone with the surname Weaver. 

And it's possible that she married for the 2nd or 3rd time in August of 1950, a Mr. Roscetti.  Now we are looking for marriages, deaths, and divorces in each case.  In November of 1999, still going by the name Marianna Rose Roscetti, the lady died and at that time she was collecting Social Security.

We would want to follow this up with a search for her death records, civil, cemetery, and/or church.


C 2015 Ancestry Worship Genealogy BlogSpot  All Rights Reserved