Archive for the ‘Federal Law’ Category

2010 U.S. Census Creates ID Theft Vulnerability

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

In March of this year, census takers will begin to thread their way across the highways and byways of our land to conduct the 2010 census.

Despite the skepticism of some,  participation is required under Title 13 of the United States Code. The same law also requires that the Census Bureau tabulate your information without revealing any of your personal data.

The government imposes very stiff fines and possible prison terms for federal employees who violate the privacy guidelines.

Allow me to call another lurking personal privacy threat to your attention. Make sure that anyone you share information with is actually from the Census Bureau!

This reminder came to my attention  from a Vice President of  Security at Austin Bank in Longview,  Texas.  (used with permission)

There has been a lot of advertisement about the 2010 Census. It is important that all people participate in the census since it is only taken every ten years. However, there are people at work posing as census takers to do one simple thing; steal the identity of everyone they can, and either use or sell the information. It is important that you protect yourself and talk to your family and friends, about protecting themselves.

Additionally, the U.S. Census Bureau has issued this statement on their website:

Census workers may need to visit your household to update the Census Bureau’s address list, deliver a questionnaire or ask you to complete the questionnaire face-to-face.  All census workers carry official government badges marked with just their name.  You also may ask them for a picture ID from another source to confirm their identity.  In addition, some census workers might carry a ‘U. S. Census Workers’ bag.  If you still are not certain about their identity, please call the Regional Census Center toll-free number to confirm they are employed by the Census Bureau.

Census workers will never ask  for your:

  • Social security number
  • Citizenship or immigration status
  • Salary or income
  • Bank account information

The reality is that their questions require much less personal information than a typical credit card application. If you would rather not answer questions at your front door, you can mail in your data.

The government says that our participation will help us to “paint a portrait of America”.

Pick up your paintbrush and let your voice be heard.


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Posted in Federal Government, Federal Law, Personal privacy, Personal Responsibility | 2 Comments »

Identity Theft Tops LA County Sheriff's Agenda

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, weighed in this week on the growing need for reshaping federal law in the local fight against crimes involving identity issues.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Sheriff Baca traveled to Washington, DC to testify before a Senate panel on the matter.  At issue is whether the Real ID act, passed in 2005 should be revised to allow individual states more flexibility in order to comply with federal deadlines.

The Times reported:

“Baca, who leads the largest sheriff’s department in the nation — with more than 18,000 officers and staff — said he hoped to express the  “critical need” for national ID standards from a local law enforcement perspective… He noted that local law enforcement personnel are typically the first to experience suspicious activities and respond to any terrorist event and that local law enforcement routinely deals with counterfeit identification, often impossible to detect.”

Sheriff Baca supports a revision of the current REAL ID Act, which essentially creates a national identification card for US citizens and puts those without one under greater scrutiny and suspicion.

One of the challenges is that the cost of implementation could run as high as $11 billion over five years according to the National Conference of State Legislators.

Both Baca and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have expressed support for a revision called PASS ID, which she claims would eliminate the need for states to spend money on untested technologies while including consumer privacy protection assurances.

Sheriff Baca testified that PASS ID is more realistic than REAL ID and he backed Napolitano’s core belief that these revisions to REAL ID are critical to improving identification security.

In a post 9/11 world, realism and improvement should be non-negotiable.

Posted in Federal Law, Police agencies, Uncategorized | No Comments »

The U.S. Supreme Court Eyeballs Identity Theft

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

“But your honor, I didn’t know…..”

The Associated Press reported this week that the United States Supreme Court has agreed to look into several cases in which undocumented foreign workers used false identities to obtain employment.

Federal prosecutors in these cases are adding more severe identity theft charges to the immigration violations they are uncovering, prompting defense lawyers to cry foul.

The government has persuaded defendants to plead guilty to lesser immigration violation charges in order to avoid the more serious identity theft charges which carry mandatory prison sentences.

In several cases, defendants have been convicted of aggravated identity theft. The defense is arguing that the more serious charges are unfounded because defendants did not knowingly use stolen Social Security numbers.

Federal appeals courts around the country have divided on the issue, which will now get the attention of the high court next year. The Bush administration claims that federal law makes it illegal to “knowingly” use another person’s identification. In 2004, President Bush signed a law requiring tougher penalties for those convicted of identity theft.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security now serves as a “clearinghouse” for employers seeking to verify the identity of job applicants presenting identifying documents. Huge raids against illegal workers in Texas and elsewhere, make this case one to watch.

Posted in Federal Law, Illegal Immigration | No Comments »