Cases from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Hotline:
October 1994 - September 1995

GOVERNMENT RECORDS

Unwanted sexually explicit mail

Ray began receiving sexually explicit mail, with "Bambi" written on the outside of the envelope. He did not know why he was receiving such mail. Ray was embarrassed by this and reported it to the Postal Inspector. The Postal Inspector was not aware that the Postal Service offers its customers a form to fill out that notifies the mailers to stop sending sexually explicit mail. The PRC alerted Ray to Postal Form 2201. 10-324-94

The whole family is affected

A court ordered Bob to have a breath analyzer installed in the family car after being convicted of drunk driving. He can't drive and has had his license revoked. Every member of the household must breathe into the device. If alcohol above a certain level is detected, the driver is unable to start the car. Bob's wife Linda reports that many kinds of odors stop the car, not only alcohol. She has been unable to start the car upon occasion. Her son is so ashamed of having to breathe into the device that he won't take his friend with him in the car. Linda objects to the device keeping a computerized record of each breath into the analyzer. A private company sells the devices and compiles the computer records for the court. Linda is not only angry about the impact this device has had on the non-drinking members of the family, but doesn't like the idea of a private company holding such records about them. She asks, where are the privacy safeguards? 05-920-95

All-seeing eyes

Fred called the hotline to complain about a survey he received from the California Department of Transportation. The cover letter indicated that the license plate of Fred's car had been recorded by a camera on a certain section of the Interstate on a specific date. The survey asked Fred to report the final destination of his trip and other questions which he found to be very intrusive. He was incensed that his whereabouts were being tracked by an agency of government. 05-169-95

She paid her dues

Kay was required by the court to be electronically monitored for a drug and alcohol related conviction. She was upfront about her situation with her supervisor and the human resources department at her workplace. They assured her she would not lose her job. In fact, she was considered to be a star employee, among the top 10 in sales volume. An employee of the company which monitors electronic monitoring devices gave details about Kay's case to her employer. She was terminated. Although her supervisor insists that the details of her case did not affect the decision to fire her, she is convinced that the indiscretion of the monitoring company's employee resulted in her losing her job. When she confronted the employee and asked why he divulged information about her, he said the case was a matter of public record and that gave him the ability to tell others about her situation. 06-414-95

Wrongfully arrested and jailed

Carole went to a city office to take a civil service test. Two days later, two police officers came to her house and arrested her for stealing a car. They told her that a car had been stolen at about the time she was at the city office. She had been identified as being in the area at the time. She insisted that she did not steal the car but was told to appear in a lineup nonetheless. Unfortunately she was identified by a witness and was taken to the women's jail. After spending the night in jail, she was released after contacting an attorney. The case against her was dropped. Carole considered filing suit against the city and asked for her police report. The police department refused to give it to her. She contacted the PRC which sent her a form letter which can be used to request the release of public records from a government agency. She used that letter to draft her own request, and 30 days later received her police report. She has a limited income and has not been able to find an attorney to take her case on a contingency basis. 07-191-95

Vigilantism against a wrongfully convicted sex offender

Jean has been married to Ted for five years. He is a registered sex offender, having been wrongfully accused of molestation by a vengeful adult-age daughter. His attorney thought the case against Ted looked strong. He recommended that Ted enter into a plea bargain and spend a short period of time in prison in order to get the whole thing behind him. He took the attorney's advice and spent eight months in jail, even though he did not molest his daughter. Jean says how he regrets having taken the attorney's advice. Ted has since had a perfect parole record for five years.

In June 1995 the state of California opened up a 900-number hotline in which callers can get information about registered sex offenders. Someone in the neighborhood found out that Ted was on the list. He and Jean have since been hounded and harassed. The neighbors have placed posters all over the neighborhood containing information about Ted. They have received three death threats. Ted can go nowhere alone. They sent a cease and desist letter to a particular neighbor, but it had no effect. They've considered hiring a mediator to come into the neighborhood and discuss the issue with their neighbors, but have been told the situation is too extreme for mediation to be effective. Jean and Ted would like to move, but are not financially able to do so. 10-09-95

Jennifer has been stalked for several years. It started in college when the stalker got her Social Security number off a list of grades posted by a professor. The stalker has used the SSN to track her down whenever she moves. He doesn't threaten to physically harm her, but just lets her know he knows where she lives. The Social Security Administration was "no help," she said. 06-478-95

Ellen wanted to apply for credit and decided it would be wise to order her credit report before doing so. She was shocked to find the word "disabled" on the report. Even though she was disabled, she didn't think that type of information was supposed to find its way onto credit reports. She's right. Ellen asked the local credit bureau how the information got there. They claimed a former employer had reported it, and that they simply record what others tell them. The local credit bureau is affiliated with TRW. We referred Ellen to someone within TRW to help her remove the "disabled" designation from the report. 02-290-96

Wrongful access to volunteers' credit reports

Ben volunteered for the 1992 Ross Perot presidential campaign. He learned that his credit report, and that of many other volunteers, had been accessed by someone involved in the Perot campaign. He and the others are having a hard time finding attorneys to take the case. The cases keep getting tossed out of court because, according to Ben, the judges say the volunteers weren't actually harmed, and you have to prove harm to successfully sue a credit bureau. 07-368-95

Fred had a Visa credit card with his bank. He recently moved and did not give his new unlisted number to the bank. But when he received the credit card statement, he noticed that his unlisted number was printed on the statement. He was particularly angered because in reading the fine print of his credit account contract, he noticed that they claim the "right to share information" with other companies. He wonders how far and wide his unlisted number has been broadcast. Fred contacted the bank and demanded to know how they obtained the number. They replied that it might have been obtained in a number of ways, perhaps when he called the bank's 800-number customer assistance line (when you call an 800 number, the recipient of the call can obtain your phone number, whether it's unlisted or not). One of the merchants Fred had done business with might have reported the number, said the bank. Or perhaps it was on his credit report. 09-1044-95

A debt collection agency contacted Franklin at his place of work. they even faxed a nasty letter to him, which some of his co-workers saw. He would like to sue the collection agency and contacted the PRC for information about state and federal laws. 09-111-94

Greta is a senior citizen and is disabled. She rides in a van specially equipped for mobile-impaired persons. The local transit agency puts riders' SSNs on the passes that must be shown upon entering the vehicle. Greta was upset when the driver looked at her card, then wrote down her number in his notebook. She was worried that he might use it to harm her in some way. 07-412-95

Sick and tired of it

Elena is tired of her SSN being used and abused. For example, she joined a company which sells products and gives bonuses to those who find others who are also willing to sell those products. The company uses SSNs as employee ID numbers. She is also angry at her bank, Great Western, which uses the last four digits of customers' SSNs as the password to get into its phone banking system. She'd like this profligate use of SSNs to be outlawed. 07-459-95

Stan has a similar complaint. He is a sales agent for a long distance company and makes sales calls from his home. The company uses SSNs as the company ID number. It's on their business cards. When the employees take a new order, their SSN appears on the paperwork which the customer receives. 10-943-94

Christy reports that she obtained our "junk mail" fact sheet a year ago and shared the information with several friends. They've all succeeded in stopping most of their unwanted mail. But they can't stop the flyers and advertising supplements, even though they've repeatedly contacted the distributor Advo. Nothing seems to get Advo's attention, despite repeated letters to them. 3/95

An uncharitable charity

Vince's mother has been dead since 1993. The organization Help Hospitalized Veterans won't take her name off its mailing list despite repeated requests. The PRC offered to contact the group on her behalf and was told that they would indeed delete the name. 02-336-95

Her aunt is on 'sucker' lists

Darla's elderly aunt gets 25 to 30 pieces of junk mail a day, mostly scam prize offers and solicitations for charitable organizations. Her aunt has a hard time saying no and gets very upset because she doesn't know what to do about all the offers. 11-016-94

Nora is 85 years old. She said that scamsters are getting a lot of her money. She repeatedly gets calls from telemarketers. She has purchased some things from them, but finds the products are worthless. Some of the callers are very demanding, even insulting. 08-935-95

Taking advantage of the vulnerable

Esther's husband is recovering from a stroke and can't remember some of his actions. He fills out offers for prizes and orders things from telemarketers, giving them his credit card number. Esther has called a particular telemarketer and told them to stop calling, which they agreed to do. However, they called back nonetheless. The PRC told Mary about remedies under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. 07-392-95

Annette had been badly injured at work several years ago. She has undergone a number of operations, and now one leg is one inch shorter than the other. She was recently terminated because of her disability and hired an attorney to take action against the company. Annette's attorney ordered a copy of her personnel file and found that her medical records were included in them, a violation of California law. 05-423-95

Harmed by inaccurate information in MIB file

Harold is an attorney and may want to run for judge someday. Ten years ago he was told by his doctor to watch his weight and reduce his consumption of alcohol, which he did. But the Medical Information Bureau (MIB) file had him coded as a drug abuser (the database shared by 750 insurance companies, containing medical information on about 1 in 10 adults). Harold wanted to clear this from his record and asked his doctor to write a letter to the insurance company which had placed the negative information in his MIB file. Before the insurance company would authorize the change, it requested that he be tested for drugs by providing a urinalysis. The insurance company also requested a hair sample from him. That's where he drew the line and refused to cooperate with them. 04-12-95

Playing hardball with his medical records

Skip is retired from a large railroad company after 25 years of employment with them. He agreed to appear as an expert witness on the subject of railroad switches, which is his area of specialty. The lawsuit involved someone run over and killed by a train when a switch failed. When he was called upon to testify, the attorney for the defendant asked him nothing about switches, but instead questioned him about his mental health. Years earlier, he had been hospitalized in a psychiatric ward and had been open in sharing that with his employer. It turns out the employer had released this very sensitive information to the defendant's attorney, who used it to intimidate and discredit him. Afterwards, Skip called his former employer and asked to see his employment file. He was told it had could not be found. 03-276-95

Fear of employer knowing too much

Linda's employer is self-insured and, as such, she is concerned about the extent to which they can obtain her medical records. Her employer also happens to be an insurance company. Linda is afraid to seek compensation for treatment for her condition, which is a fairly unique malady, because information about her health would get into her employer's hands and she would be terminated, even though her condition does not affect her work performance. Others have been let go for similar reasons. Linda has decided to pay for her treatment out of her own pocket rather than allow her employer to learn about her condition. 02-342-95

A clinic that tells the world

Patricia donated plasma at a private clinic. When she first donated, she was told that none of the information she provided to them would be released to anyone. Recently, she returned to the clinic to donate plasma again. She happened to glance at the bulletin board in the donation center and noticed that a list of donors was posted, a list which included her name. 01-72-95

A chain of confidentiality abuses

Antonio, a gay male, works for a California company in Mexico City. He saw the company doctor and requested an HIV test. Antonio found out that the doctor had told someone in the human resources department who in turn told his supervisor of the test request. He's consulting an attorney. 01-68-95

Another careless records handler

Christy rents an oxygen machine from a home health medical equipment provider. She recently ordered a printout of her usage for the past year. When she received it, she saw that she had been given the usage histories of 3 other persons, complete with their SSNs. She was horrified that the company would be so careless as to let such sensitive information be mailed to her. 07-937-95

Paul, a computer technician, discovered that his employer had placed hidden microphones and cameras around the building to monitor the employees. His boss is an ex-cop. 05-144-96

Saddled with a thief's criminal record and can't find work

Larry's wallet was stolen. Apparently the thief committed some crimes while in the possession of Larry's ID. This resulted in information about criminal conduct, wrongfully attributed to Larry, making its way into the database of a company which keeps background check information about employees in the retail service sector. Larry was fired because of this erroneous information and can't find work. 01-119-96

The all-knowing credit card account

Tomaso was fired because of information provided to his employer by a company he did personal business with. A flower shop provided the employer a 3-page list covering his credit card transactions with them over a 3-month period. The list included the name of the person who received the flowers, the dates of delivery, and the wording of the messages on the cards that accompanied the flowers. Tomaso happens to be in the military and was under investigation for fraternization. 08-424-95

Phone monitoring leads to loss of job

Evelyn worked for the customer services department of a utility company for 27 years. The company tapes some of the phone calls to monitor for quality of service. She was fired and was told it was because her taped calls showed poor performance. Evelyn says that many of the older employees who are close to retirement are losing their jobs, and are being told it's because of the contents of taped calls. She has contacted the union but was told they can do nothing. Evelyn says that when she asked to listen to some of the tapes, she was told they had been destroyed. 08-539-95

Intrusive interview process

Manuel applied for a job and had an initial interview by phone. The company called him back to arrange for an in-person interview, a good sign, he thought. Before the interview was scheduled , the company sent him a packet of forms to sign. Manuel was being asked to sign waivers allowing a private investigator to conduct a background check, an authorization form for a credit report, the release of his school records, and permission for the company to conduct interviews with his neighbors. He felt this was an excessive privacy intrusion. 07-693-95

Now everyone knows

Katrina is a felon, and was upfront with her employer about this. He went to the courthouse and obtained a copy of her record. He passed it out to other employees and some of her friends. 07-185-95

How to make money by selling old resumes

Margaret works for a software company as the human resources manager. She recently received a fax which suggested her company could make money by selling copies of the resumes of job applicants who weren't hired. "There's gold in your files. Un-used resumes can be worth a fortune to you," said the fax. "Save those resumes and call us today. Find out how we can turn the resumes you don't need into long term cash. Call for details: xxx-yyyy." Margaret was shocked at this business practice and decided to call the number provided on the fax. She was told that she had reached a head hunter company, looking for people "in transition" for a client overseas. If any of the individuals whose resumes Margaret were to provide to the company ended up being hired, Margaret would get part of the commission. Margaret contacted us to see if we knew if this was legitimate. We told her that at the very least, the head hunter had violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by sending a "junk fax." 03-162-95

Joe received a letter in the mail inviting him to attend a conference on small business phone systems. He was shocked to see that his unlisted number was printed on the mailing label, the phone number he had used for 35 years. He called the phone company to complain. A phone company representative apologized profusely and said a mistake had been made. It would never happen again, he was told. The phone company offered to pay his registration fee to the conference. He declined. 05-170-95

Cheryl and her 7-year-old daughter went to the bank to open a checking account for the daughter. The bank told Cheryl her daughter had a bad credit report. Someone had been using the child's Social Security number to open credit accounts. Cheryl thinks the imposter might be her ex-husband. 09-438-95

Wrongful hit and run allegation

Someone with the same name and birthdate as Donald was involved in a hit and run case in northern California. The DMV sent notification of the case to Donald's employer. Donald lives in southern California. He has had to spend considerable time and money, including traveling to northern California to appear in court, in order to clear his name. 08-1357-95

Check fraud

Minerva has been a victim of check forgery fraud. The imposter used a computer to create a copy of her checks. He was able to withdraw $6,300 from her checking account to buy a car. He apparently had a copy of her signature, because she says he was able to make it look quite a bit like her own hand. Minerva is upset because the police would not take a police report. They told her they're inundated with fraud cases. Minerva thinks the fraudster works for the check sales company. She recently ordered new checks from the company and it was shortly thereafter that the fraudulent check was cashed. 08-649-95

A mother and son were victimized

Someone has obtained the personal information of both Tanya and her son Randy, including Tanya's mother's maiden name. The imposter has applied for credit in both of their names. Their mail has also been forwarded to the imposter's address. They got no help from the Postal Inspector. And the sheriff's department told them their case was not "worth their time to pursue." So they hired a private investigator. Tanya is upset because "they're responsible citizens" and their good name has been soiled. 08-602-95

Her credit report has been ruined

Someone has been impersonating Jessica for over a year. The imposter apparently has her SSN. She has rented apartments in Jessica's name, then moved out without paying the rent. She has opened telephone accounts, too. Collection agencies have come after Jessica. An unlawful detainer judgement is on her credit report and she has not been able to have it removed. Jessica says this experience has had a psychological impact on, "almost like a rape case." She says people treat her like she's the crook. 08-574-95

The thief's an insider

Someone at Deanna's husband's office got into his personnel record and obtained his SSN to open credit card accounts. They know who the imposter is but can't interest law enforcement authorities in the case. The police say that they are not the victims, but the credit card companies are. They won't do anything. 08-850-95

Doesn't anyone look at IDs anymore?

Wanda's wallet was stolen 6 months ago. The thief used Wanda's credit card to get a $2,000 advance from the bank. The imposter has also cashed 8 of her checks. Wanda says that if anyone had bothered to look at the driver's license, they could easily see it was an imposter. 08-732-95

An ex-renter is the imposter

Larry found out he is a victim of identity theft when he tried to buy a condominium and ordered his credit report. He determined that someone who had rented an apartment from him for 7 years, and who also worked for a credit bureau, had been able to run up many purchases on Larry's credit cards. Larry reported the case to the sheriff's department and learned that there is another case against the imposter. Larry has hired an attorney to handle the case. Now the thief is threatening to sue Larry! 08-865-95

The look-alike imposter

Sara is in danger of being arrested for automobile theft. Three years ago her purse was stolen by a co-worker who happens to look a lot like Sara. The imposter bought a car with Sara's ID, she wrote countless bad checks and now has been accused of burglary. Sara received a letter from the District Attorney's office charging her with the crimes of burglary, bad check writing and alteration of money orders. She has talked with law enforcement officials who don't believe her story. They're convinced she's the thief. 08-559-95

The thief worked for the Social Security Administration

An employee of the Social Security Administration would look in the data base for people with similar names and years of birth to hers. She then used their SSNs to open up credit accounts. Corinne was victimized by this person, something she discovered when she tried to refinance her house. She contacted her Congressman, federal prosecutors, and the Secret Service. She even testifed in Congress before the Ways and Means Committee in 1992. Corinne sent the PRC information from the hearing. 08-127-95

An unscrupulous father

Jason is 25 years old. When he was a child, his father abandoned the family. He moves around a great deal and uses his son's SSN for credit fraud. Unfortunately, the unpaid bills of the father have become part of Jason's own credit report. Jason thinks that merchants should be required to request a picture ID and proof of age when people pay with credit cards. 07-1279-95

He was double scammed

Peter got the phone call he had always been waiting for. He was told he had won the Lottery's Big Spin. He was asked to give his SSN and driver's license number as verification, which he gave to the caller. The caller told Peter that he would get a check for $50,000, and that a limousine would be sent to his home to pick up him and his wife the next day. When the limo failed to arrive, he started to worry. It wasn't long before fraudulent credit card charges appeared in his name. 07-770-95

Reckless use of SSNs by employer

Peggy called the PRC to complain about a practice of her employer. The ID badges they are all required to wear have their SSNs on the front. She says they are all at risk of identity theft. 07-505-95

A cellular thief

Someone used Janie's Social Security number and driver's license number to open a cellular phone account. The imposter ran up a bill of $3,500. 07-444-95

Why didn't the bank pay attention?

Miki has several different accounts with her bank, including checking and savings. She filled out a pre-approved offer of credit for a bank card and mailed it to the bank. Apparently, the application was apprehended in the mail, ordered the card and changed the address to another state. She wonders why the bank didn't notice that her address on her other accounts did not change. Surely, they should have detected the fraud right away -- but they didn't. In fact, even though she's been a client of the bank for 20 years, they suspected her of wrongdoing. She reported the matter to the police but was told they wouldn't take the report because "she wasn't the victim, the bank was." The bank's collection department called her repeatedly and harassed her for nonpayment. After a great deal of hassle, she cleared up the matter with the bank. Miki thinks they shouldn't send pre-approved offers of credit through the mail. 07-364-95

Multiple credit card fraud

Someone was able to make fraudulent purchases on Kay's 18 credit cards. She doesn't know how the imposter could have gotten the information on her accounts, although it might have been through her mortgage company. She recently bought a house. Kay says she's tired of not being able to get through to the fraud departments of the three credit reporting bureaus. Their phones are always busy. 06-408-95

Major credit card fraud

Gerhard is a physician. Someone was able to learn his SSN and date of birth. They got his driver's license as well. The imposter was able to get into his bank account and order a credit card in Gerhard's name. In all, there was $30,000 in fraud. This all happened while Gerhard was trying to obtain financing for a new house. 06-403-95

Check cashing hassles

Someone is using Tracy's driver's license number to cash bad checks. Tracy had to deal with both Telecheck and Equifax to clear his record. He was told by these companies that they know the identity of the imposter, but they wouldn't reveal that information to Tracy. Tracy is angry that the criminal's identity is being protected, but his own was so easily compromised. 06-331-95

A twisted sense of justice

Eunice's employer hired a CPA firm to do the bookkeeping. Someone from that company stole her personal identification and used it to rent an apartment and get credit. Eunice learned of this when a collection agency contacted her to pay the bills. In a strange turn of events, the imposter went to court and obtained a judgement against Eunice. 05-595-95

The fraudster is now in jail

Brenda's daughter is a victim of fraud. Someone opened up a bank account in her name, bought a car, opened up retail credit card accounts, even had cellular phone service. Brenda's daughter now has a bad credit report. The imposter apparently victimized 5 other women in the same way. Brenda says this has been a "nightmare." The police even knocked on Brenda's door at 5 a.m. looking for her daughter. Thankfully, the imposter is now in jail. 03-107-95

A busy credit spender

Someone from the bank called Antonio to tell him he was delinquent on his car loan. But Antonio had no car loan, so the bank official suggested that he order his credit report. He was shocked to find that an imposter had obtained 18 credit accounts in Antonio's name. He contacted the police, but they were not able to help him. He was able to get help from the Consumer Credit Counseling Service. 02-402-94

A classic wallet heist

Cora was in a parking lot walking to her car, when the person in front of her bumped into her. She apologized, and they all went their separate ways. In her car, Cora realized her wallet had just been stolen. It wasn't long after that when she started receiving letters from creditors asking for payment on purchases she never made. The thief had used her name and another address to get checks issues. The thief also was able to get a new driver's license. Cora said that in clearing up the mess, the credit card companies were the easiest to deal with. The banks were the worst. 02-355-95

A crime ring in another state has his name

Someone in Florida has Joe's TRW and Equifax credit reports. The imposter is able to open credit cards in Joe's name, even though Joe has reported the fraud to the 3 credit reporting bureaus. Joe has compiled a file 1-1/2 inches thick in trying to straighten out this matter. He says "this guy has stolen my life." Joe says the imposter is very sophisticated. He pays off a portion of the monthly bills in order to prolong the use of the credit cards. Joe has the phone number of the imposter and has even talked with him on the phone. 02-242-95

Wrongfully arrested and jailed

Raul, who lives in San Diego, traveled to Tijuana to visit family members. On his way back across the border, he was sent to secondary inspection. There he was told there was a warrant for his arrest -- someone using his SSN was committing crimes under his name. He was transported to San Francisco where he spent 10 days in jail. All the while, Raul professed in innocence. He finally convinced one of the police officers that he was not the crook, which was verified when his fingerprints were taken. He was released from jail, but was stranded in San Francisco without any money. He is suing the city for his wrongful arrest. 02-153-95

Old driver's licenses for the taking

Terrence is a police officer. One day as he was patrolling in his police car, he was called to a DMV storage area by another police officer. There, he found that a man had been apprehended carrying the driver's license of Terrence's own wife. They were recently married and she had gone to the DMV to get a new license with her married name on it. It turns out that the DMV had been discarding old licenses in clear plastic bags, unshredded, outside the storage facility. Local crooks had discovered the gold mine and had availed themselves of this treasure trove. Terrence was shocked that the DMV had not shredded the old licenses and contacted them about it. He was told they couldn't afford shredders for every office in California. 05-692-95

The dumpster diver from hell

Barney is a self-professed privacy nut. One of his pet peeves is that many financial institutions such as banks and brokerage houses don't bother to shred their files before tossing them in the dumpster. He occasionally checks the trash bins behind such institutions, gathers documents from them, and writes letters such as the following to the people whose names and addresses he finds on them. He sends copies of such letters to the institution whose dumpsters he has raided. Here's one of those letters:

"Enclosed are XX brokerage company confirmation sheets for each of you. These were found in the gutter near the XX company office along with numerous other XX documents. With a little additional effort, these documents provide everything a crook needs to work up phony credit cards, checks, drivers license, etc. ... Perhaps you might want to send some towels to XX so that these experienced Financial Consultants can dry off behind the ears...." 12/95

Here's a letter to one of the offending institutions:

"During most of today (Sunday), three plastic bags of waste were left unsecured outside of your side door... Enclosed are a few of the sensitive documents off the top of one of the bags. You will note that one document contains the customer SSN, address, bank account name and ID and a customer signature sample with signature guaranteed by your company. This is everything a crook needs to work up phony credit cards, checks, drivers license etc. Don't you "financial advisers" realize that crosscut shredders have existed for years and that you have a legal responsibility to protect and secure client identification? ..." 07/95

Sam, who lives in a different city from Barney, contacted us about a similar manner. He found hundreds of unshredded credit reports in the trash behind a leasing company. 09-1026-95

Copyright © 1996-2006. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse/UCAN. This copyrighted document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit, educational purposes only. For distribution, see our copyright and reprint guidelines. The text of this document may not be altered without express authorization of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. This document should be used as an information source and not as legal advice. PRC documents contain information about federal laws as well as some California-specific information. Laws in other states may vary. Overall, our information is applicable to consumers nationwide.