It's been two weeks since key personal data belonging to hundreds of victims, including Social Security numbers, started appearing in an Internet chat room, and it was still unclear Saturday where the data was stolen from. The incident has been described as one of the largest identity theft cases ever, because the data being posted also includes driver's license numbers, date of birth and credit card information - everything a criminal would need to open an online bank account, apply for a credit card, even create the paperwork necessary to smuggle illegal immigrants.. . .
It's been two weeks since key personal data belonging to hundreds of victims, including Social Security numbers, started appearing in an Internet chat room, and it was still unclear Saturday where the data was stolen from. The incident has been described as one of the largest identity theft cases ever, because the data being posted also includes driver's license numbers, date of birth and credit card information - everything a criminal would need to open an online bank account, apply for a credit card, even create the paperwork necessary to smuggle illegal immigrants.

ACCORDING TO A SOURCE who requested anonymity, the customer data started flowing July 14 and continued at least through July 22. It's unknown just how many records were published, but at one point new records were flying by at a rate of two per minute.

While it is still unclear how the chat room participants managed to get their hands on the critical data, an MSNBC.com investigation has revealed common threads among the victims - including the purchase of a cell phone online from VerizonWireless.com or an AT&T Wireless reseller.