| Volume 85 Number 7 |
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Credit Reports and Identity Theft
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1-713-743-2168
The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
You cannot prevent identity theft, but you can stop it from happening a second time. In Texas, victims of identity theft can place a security freeze on their account, preventing anyone from misusing their credit.
How can a security freeze help you? Find out now!
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Scam Alert: Boston Tragedy Aftermath
On Monday, a terrible tragedy struck the city of Boston, and touched Americans across the United States. As authorities work to sort through the events in order to bring the culprit(s) to justice, scammers are already out in force.
Within hours of the explosions, more than 125 fishy domains and numerous
fake charities surfaced.
In addition to the scams, many fake stories have gone viral.
If you see something on Twitter or Facebook asking for a "retweet" or a "like," be careful. Numerous individuals and businesses are looking for nothing more than self promotion. Simply because an account looks legitimate doesn't mean that it is legitimate. In some instances, Twitter users are claiming to
donate $1 for every retweet. In fact, it is impossible to track such activity and hold the user accountable. In the great majority of instances, it is simply someone trying to get more followers, likes, or retweets on the back of a tragic event.
Beware of scams, fake stories, and individuals looking to exploit the disaster for personal gain.
If you want to help, contact your local Red Cross to ask how you can best assist.
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Your Money
What's the value of higher education?
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For the Lawyers
HOLA doesn’t preempt fraud claim against lender. The Fourth Circuit held that federal consumer protection law does not completely preempt state-law claims brought by a plaintiff who was allegedly fraudulently induced into accepting a home loan. The plaintiff sued, arguing that her mortgage contract was unconscionable and that her lender fraudulently induced her into accepting the loan by misrepresenting the market value of her property. The lender argued that the plaintiff’s state-law unconscionability claims were completely preempted by the federal Home Owners’ Loan Act. The court found that the plaintiff’s fraud claim was not preempted because it fell within the scope of the Act’s exception for tort claims that only incidentally affect lending operations.
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