| Volume 105 Number 3 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Are you getting unwanted solicitations by phone?
Stop telemarketers from contacting you with the National Do Not Call Registry!
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Watch Out for Charity Scams This Holiday
It's the season of giving. Every holiday season, consumers open their wallets and give their time to help those in need. In fact, charities receive the bulk of their donations in the final months of the year. Consumers can not only feel good about donating, but they can also get tax breaks for doing so.
Beware! Anytime consumers are open to donating, scam artists will be there to sink their teeth into consumers' wallets.
This holiday season, make sure your donation doesn't end up in the hands of a scammer. First, if you've been contacted by someone who claims to work for a charity, it's best to double check. Even if the caller ID displays the name of the charity, it may not be reliable. "Spoofing" allows scam artists to display a fake name when they call consumers for donations. Second, pay special attention to the name of the charity. It may have a name similar to a familiar charity but actually be different in a subtle way.
Protect yourself! If you're planning to give this holiday season, try www.CharityNavigator.org. In addition to verifying the charity, you'll also be able to see how much of your donation will actually go to the cause. If more than 25% of donations are spent on administrative costs, consider another charity.
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Sony Hack Exposed Social Security Numbers
Adding to the list of high profile security breaches, a recent hack of Sony Entertainment exposed more than 47,000 social security numbers. In addition to the release of sensitive personal information, hackers also snatched up a series of unreleased films.
Unlike some other security breaches, the Sony hack was well orchestrated effort. According to security experts, there's probably nothing Sony could have done to prevent the breach as the hack would have easily evaded the industry standard for systems protection.
It's unclear who hacked Sony's systems, but many have speculated North Korea could be involved.
What is clear is that 100% security doesn't and likely won't ever exist. With that in mind, it is critical for everyone to remain diligent in protecting their own personal information. Change your passwords frequently, store sensitive information on external drives that don't access the Internet, and regularly check your credit report. If you believe you've been the victim of a hack, report it to authorities immediately.
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New Kidney Transplant Rules Take Effect
Last Thursday, new rules governing kidney transplants took effect. The changes are designed to make the entire process more fair, improve odds for hard-to-match patients, and make the process as class-, age-, race-, and gender-free as possible.
Demand for transplant kidneys is far greater than available supply. Before the new rules, the average wait time for a transplant was about 36 months. For someone suffering from kidney disease, that's an eternity. Last year, some 4,400 people died while waiting for a transplant.
Under the new rules, patients will receive a wait time credit from the moment they start dialysis, not the time they get on the waiting list.
How could the new rules save more lives?
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Your Money
What is your tax-equivalent yield?
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For the Lawyers
Arbitration agreement unenforceable as illusory and lacked consideration.
The Missouri Supreme Court found an employee’s arbitration agreement was unenforceable. The court concluded that, “there was no consideration to create a valid arbitration agreement” for two reasons: continued at-will employment was insufficient consideration; and the arbitration agreement was illusory. The court characterized the arrangement as at-will employment, and followed earlier Missouri cases finding “continued at-will employment is not valid consideration to support” an arbitration agreement. The arbitration agreement also allowed the employer “to amend, modify or revoke this agreement upon thirty (30) days’ prior written notice to the Employee.” The court concluded that that statement allowed the employer to modify the agreement “unilaterally and retroactively,” making it illusory.
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