Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

The Grave is No Barrier to Identity Thieves

Excerpt from: German Law Group, P.C. (click for full article)

 

If you’ve ever been the victim of identity theft you know how aggravating it can be. Yet, even if you haven’t been victimized by identity thieves you may still have to deal with the problem because a thief has stolen the identity of a deceased relative.

According to a new study about 2 ½ million deceased Americans have their identities stolen every year. When this happens, the former spouses and family members of the deceased person are often left to deal with the mess.

According to financial security firm ID Analytics, identity thieves stole the Social Security numbers of about 1.6 million Americans last year. In another 800,000 instances, criminals used a deceased person’s identity to apply for credit cards, cell phone service, or other lines of credit. This type of identity theft can cause a headache for the deceased person’s family members, but they won’t be responsible for paying back any debt.

New law bars employers, schools from asking for Facebook passwords

Excerpt from: Crain's Detroit Business (click for full article)

 

Employers and educational institutions will no longer be able to ask potential hires or students for their passwords to their Facebook, Twitter or personal email accounts, after Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill outlawing the practice this afternoon.

"Cyber security is important to the reinvention of Michigan, and protecting the private Internet accounts of residents is a part of that," Snyder said in a statement. "Potential employees and students should be judged on their skills and abilities, not private online activity."

HB 5523 was sponsored by Rep. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, and is now Public Act 478.

Nesbitt previously told Crain's the impetus for the bill came from constituents in his district who had heard about such practices going on in other states, and asked him to work to make sure it could not happen in Michigan. The National Federal of Independent Businesses-Michigan and the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan supported the bill.