Theirs for the taking: sensitive credit data: “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.

It wasn’t hard to do. On its website, Goldshield asked: ‘What are you looking for?’ On sale were Social Security numbers ($30), unlisted telephone numbers ($85), telephone billing information ($95), vehicle information ($65), credit reports ($125), and credit card billing statements ($125). Everything a thief would need to steal an identity.” —Boston Globe