Identity theft

Published on: March 22, 2015

ID Theft: A Tax Return Grab and Go (aka Hit and Run) at the Post Office

By Laura Orr

A few days ago a Trimet buddy told his fellow riders about an appalling tax return grab and go theft that happened at the downtown post office earlier this week. He was jostled from behind and when he turned the mail in his hand was grabbed, including, especially, the easily identifiable IRS tax return envelope.

He spent the remainder of the day, and week, doing the rounds of police, credit reporting agencies, IRS, and all the other ID theft checklist items, including a couple hours looking at security video, sadly to no avail.

Yes it’s a lesson to file electronically, but it’s also a lesson we all need to keep in mind – watch out for other people and not always strangers who invade your personal space. And keep those valuables out of sight!

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Published on: June 27, 2014

Why are Passwords So Hard for Lawyers? (Inter-Alia)

By Laura Orr

Tom Mighell tackles the question: “Why are Passwords So Hard for Lawyers?”

Answer: ZZZZZzzzz. But doze off at your own risk:

Excerpt: “The subject of passwords is one that is both fascinating and frustrating to me. We know that it’s getting easier and easier for hackers to crack our passwords; just three years ago, a nine-digit password would take 44,530 years to crack, but today that same password can be cracked in less than a day, according to Passfault. And yet, when I mention this in speeches that I give, lawyers invariably give a heavy sigh, roll their eyes, and promptly tune out. I know what they’re thinking: “12 digit password? It’s hard enough for me to remember the name of my dog and the numbers 123!” [Link to blog post and blog homepage.]

Published on: November 22, 2013

States Must Spend Millions for ID Law

By Laura Orr

Remember “unfunded mandates?” They never really went away so you may as well get reacquainted with them. (See also, National Conference of State Legislatures on unfunded mandates.)

Interesting story in the Salem (Oregon) Statesman Journal, 11/21/13:

State Must Spend Millions for ID Law

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Published on: October 12, 2007

Criminal Identity Theft: How to Clear Your Record

By Laura Orr

Would a records check on you erroneously show a criminal conviction? If it did, what steps would you take to clear your record?

For example, what would you do if in the course of applying for a mortgage or a job or looking for an apartment, the bank, employer or apartment manager told you, “forget about it” because a background or credit check came up with a criminal conviction on your record. So you didn’t know you even had a “record” did you? Well think again. This type of identity theft (or besmirching) is happening, again and again.

Trying to fix this type of criminal record error makes clearing your financial record after a financial identity theft look like a walk in the park (ok, a really big park, with a lot of really steep hills). This is partly because the reason for the error can be located anywhere from the criminal impersonator (if there is one) to errors by a law enforcement agency, by the database vendor, or by whomever is contracting for the information. (There are probably others in this chain.)

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