How Vulnerable Are You?

A Quickie Evaluation Checklist

Please answer "yes" or "no" to the following questions. Score "1" for a yes answer; "0" for a no. If you're not sure, give yourself 1/2 point:

Do you own U.S. real estate ? .................................................................................................................. Yes No

Do you own one or more motor vehicles? ............................................................................................. Yes No

Do you have a driver's license from any state? ......................................................................................Yes No

Do you have any credit cards issued by U.S. financial institutions? ................................................. Yes No

Do you have U.S. bank or brokerage accounts? .................................................................................. Yes No

Are you licensed by any state (e.g., as an attorney, physician, pilot, insurance broker,etc.)?................... ........................................................................................................................................................................Yes No

Do you have utility service in your name? ...............................................................................................Yes No

Have you ever been involved in a divorce or a lawsuit, or received money through a probate court? .............................................................................................................................................................Yes No

Do you belong to any organizations or a church that are controversial or politically unpopular?.............. .........................................................................................................................................................................Yes No

Do you receive mail at your residence in your name? ......................................................................... Yes No

Do you file U.S. income tax returns? ........................................................................................................Yes No

Have you filed a fictitious name application in your county? (i.e. corporation or dba, partnership etc.)..................................................................................................................................................................Yes No

Have you been assigned a Social Security number which you use on applications, bank accounts etc.?.................................................................................................................................................................Yes No

Are you registered to vote in the county where you nowreside? ....................................................... Yes No

Have you ever applied for government assistance? (unemployment, AFDC, Food Stamps, etc)..................................................................................................................................................................Yes No

Do you currently receive income or benefits from any governmental entity? (SSA, VA, Medicaid, etc.)................................................................................................................................................................Yes No

Have you ever been convicted of a crime or declared bankruptcy?...................................................Yes No

Have you ever served in the military?......................................................................................................Yes No

Your score: ____

Now you can evaluate your vulnerability.

0-4 points: Virtually unexposed. You have successfully shut off privacy invaders from your life.

5-8 points: Somewhat exposed. You have shut down more pathways to privacy invasion than most Americans. You can lower your profile even more, but perhaps only by taking steps that are inconvenient or illegal. See what alternatives that you might have to your ‘Yes’ items above.

9-12 points: Exposed. Your life is more open that you might wish. You could be asking for trouble and should take steps to lower your profile.

13-17 points: Highly exposed. Your life is an open book. You are an easy target for lawsuits, harrassment, tax abuse, identity theft, profiling, junk mail, solicitations, scams, leveraging, political influence and/or asset forfeitures, just to mention a few.