FLORIDA PROVIDES EASY ACCESS TO CRITICAL PERSONAL INFORMATION

The State of Florida has an aggressive open public records policy. Florida actively works to put public records, such as driver’s license information, property records, tax records, and other public records on easily accessed public websites.

In its attempts to be as open as possible about public information Florida has been placing its citizens at great public risk.

A quick search of county records on public websites reveals the Social Security Numbers (SSN) of several notable citizens including, Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning, Miami Herald publisher Jesús Díaz Jr. and Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor.

Serious Identity Theft is rampant in Florida. For example property deed fraud is common. County records displayed on the Internet provide everything a criminal needs to steal a home. Thieves simply clip an image of an old signature and current notary seal from the Website and paste them into a fraudulent mortgage or deed. The fraudulent deed is then filed with the county by mail. Presto! – Your house is now owned by the thief who usually moves to refinance or sell the property.

KnightsBridge Castle accesses over 85,000 databases in providing its services. These include data sources in all states including Florida. Unlike Florida, many states, such as California, and many database suppliers, require an exhaustive application and vetting process prior to providing us with full access. KnightsBridge Castle facilities have been inspected on two occasions prior to allowing us access to public and private records.

While open records policies can be very good, providing too much information can be very bad – Florida is a timely example of how too much “openness” can cause real harm.