Deluged Lexis Purging Names From Database
Consumers have been overwhelming Dayton, Ohio-based Lexis-Nexis with a flood of requests to get their information deleted from a controversial fledgling database that includes a host of private information about virtually every individual in America.
The volume of requests--many of which are duplicates and triplicates sent via different means, such as fax, e-mail and snail mail--has clogged the system, making it impossible for the information service company to estimate how long it will take to eliminate data on consumers who have asked to be deleted, a Lexis spokeswoman says.
Lexis-Nexis, a provider of legal and general information, has one of the largest computer databases in the world. This summer the company began to sell a product called P-Trak, which allows users to obtain a wide range of personal information about individuals they list by name. The information provided includes maiden names and aliases, current and previous addresses, birth dates and home telephone numbers.
At one point, Lexis was also providing Social Security numbers, but stopped displaying them after receiving a flood of complaints. However, Social Security numbers remain in the system. Somebody who has a Social Security number, but doesn’t know the individual’s name or address, can plug in the number and get the rest of the data from Lexis.
The service is aimed at law enforcement officials and lawyers who are trying to track down witnesses, debtors, heirs and beneficiaries. However, anyone willing to pay a search fee can gain access to it.
Alerted by widely circulated e-mail messages a few months ago, consumers lambasted Lexis for invading their privacy and subjecting them to potential fraud. Lexis allows individuals to have their names deleted from the system, but the company maintains that consumers are overreacting. The system is unlikely to be used for nefarious purposes, partly because the per-search price of $85 to $100 is too costly to use in any sort of blanket way, says spokeswoman Lesley Sprigg.
Does the service present a danger to your privacy or finances?
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department believes so. In an internal memo provided to The Times, the Sheriff’s Department urged all law enforcement personnel to have their names deleted.
“This database can pose a serious threat to everyone’s personal privacy, security and is a ripe field for some crook to steal your personal identity to commit fraud or otherwise mess up one’s credit,” the memo said.
Law enforcement officials are particularly skittish about protecting their personal information from criminals, Sheriff’s Department officials acknowledge. However, they’re also concerned about the chance that credit card fraud will soar as con artists find ways to use the data to perpetrate so-called identity fraud.
Identity fraud involves a criminal getting enough information about you to apply for credit cards in your name, which are used liberally and abandoned. Credit card experts maintain it’s the fastest-growing segment of the multibillion-dollar credit fraud industry.
“I would advise anyone who is concerned about getting ripped off by use of their personal information to have their name taken off the database,” says Sgt. Ron Spear, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department.
How do you do it? There are three options--fax, mail or modem.
In all cases, you need to make the request in writing and include your full name and address, according to Lexis-Nexis.
* By fax, send the request to: (800) 732-7672.
* Mail requests go to P-Trak, P.O. Box 933, Dayton, OH 45401.
* There are two computerized options: Sign on to the Lexis Web site at https://www.lexis-nexis.com and follow directions from there. Or, simply send an e-mail message to p-trak@prod.lexis-nexis.com.
* Tips for potential entrepreneurs: If you dream of owning your own business--or would like to sell the business you’ve got--you may find one of two pamphlets put out by MetLife and the U.S. Small Business Administration helpful.
The first, “Starting a Business,” includes a short quiz to gauge your ability to stomach the stress and long hours involved in striking out on your own. It talks about where you can get information about your potential competition and the basics of putting together a business plan.
The second, “Selling a Business,” discusses ways to find a buyer and suggests times that you ought to use a business broker--a third party who finds and qualifies potential buyers before you reveal the identity of the business that’s for sale. It also explains what type of information you’ll need to evaluate the value of your company.
Both booklets are free. Those who prefer to request them by mail can send a request to: Business Basics, Pueblo, CO 81009.
However, if you’re hooked up to the Internet, you can download this--and dozens of other publications--by logging on to the Consumer Information Center’s Web site at https://www.pueblo.gsa.gov.
Consumer Checklist is a weekly feature that covers a range of pocketbook issues of interest to Californians. To contribute information about new legislation, products, services or surveys, write to Kathy M. Kristof, Business Section, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053; or e-mail kathy.kristof@latimes.com
