While the Internet has made shopping, bill paying, and financial transactions much more convenient for American consumers, at the same time the Internet has been used for identity theft: consumers find that their personal information can be accessed by hackers who steal their personal data such as date of birth, name, address and Social Security number and can use this to obtain access to financial accounts as well. Identity theft has become the major type of crime committed against American consumers.  The reason identity theft is possible is that internet hackers can gain personal information about consumers, then use that information to make online purchases and worse; take out credit cards and steal from savings and other financial accounts.  These losses amounted to an estimated $15.4 billion in 2014. But it may be time for consumers to assert themselves and demand that credit agencies such as Equifax, Experian and TransUnion no longer have a monopoly on control...(Read Full Article)