For me personally, I do not give them my current address on credit reports. I either use an old address or an alternate address. They don't need your actual current mailing or living address...they go by SSN, Name and date of birth. The address is used mostly to sell to other companies to solicit you for something.

Which is the best way to go about this? Purchase a NM LLC and transfer title everything I still have (car, etc.) and whatever property I acquire down the road into the LLC, or is there another way of going about it all that I haven't thought of yet? Deb

... Use separate LLCs for each vehicle and each piece of real estate, for a start. Keep your NH DL and bank account.

I don't quite understand this.

1) Was the name/address block on the prescription form blank?
2) The pharmacist asked for the name, address, etc.?
3)Wasn't this information on the prescription form?
4) How does one respond to their doctor if he/she asks why we want our prescription made out to just our first initial and last name?
5) Or if the doctor says he/she will phone the prescription in to the pharmacy?
6) Or if the prescription is one of those new electronic prescriptions where all your personal information is electronically printed on the prescription form?

... That's a lot of questions, Dale but I will answer for Joan as I am familiar with the process.

1) No, it would have a first initial and a last name. (You then select a different first name that starts with the same letter.)
2) Yes.
3) No.
4) No doctor has ever asked that and I always do it.
5) I'd tell the doctor I don't have any particular pharmacy yet that I use so just give me the slip.
6) Not familiar with that one.

Below is a link I found by searching on the issue that suggests this.

Demand (in writing) that they provide you with a citation to the specific federal statute that they claim authorizes them to demand this information. Then CHECK the citation, if they give it, because they may just make one up out of thin air, or be misinterpreting a real statute. Also, ask them specifically WHY they need the information and WHAT information they are specifically looking for, and what your income tax has to do with providing health insurance for your wife and child.

Generally, one of two things will happen if you challenge them and threaten them with a complaint to the state AG; they will either forget about the tax returns or they will get hard-nosed about it and threaten to cancel your coverage. If it's a company plan, and your wife signed up during open enrollment, they probably CANNOT cancel your insurance merely because you refuse to provide tax returns, but you'll need to discuss this with your boss and explain your privacy concerns to him. Hopefully he will sympathize and have a word with the insurance company.

You might also consider sending them a redacted tax return with only your and your wife's name and SSN (which they already have) and "number of dependents" visible. Make a copy of the returns, black out ALL financial data and other irrelevant items with a felt pen, then COPY IT AGAIN and send them that copy (so they can't "peek through" the black marker).

Along with the returns, send a letter, a contract really, that requires that they handle your personal information securely, and that the information provided may NOT BE DISCLOSED to any third person for any reasons whatsoever. Consider having a lawyer draft this agreement and consider taking it to the company and having an authorized person sign it BEFORE you provide the tax data. Explain that you are extremely concerned about identity theft and you will refuse to provide them with the information unless they agree on specific conditions for the use, retention, storage and access to it in writing.

Basically, make it a pain in the ass for them to request this information, give them ONLY the absolute minimum information they need to extend coverage, require them to prove IN WRITING (do NOT do any of this on the phone, do it by Certified Mail, return receipt requested) that they are legally entitled to the information and that they will use it only for legitimate purposes within THEIR company only. Demand SPECIFICALLY that they NOT share any of your personal data with ANY other company or insurance database.

Cross out and initial any language in the insurance contract that "releases" them from liability for sharing information and invoke HIPA (Health Insurance Privacy Act) frequently, and let them know that any misuse or release of information about you or your family will result in a lawsuit.

Check with your state Attorney General's office about making a complaint against the insurer for deceptive trade practices.

If they need information about your child, do as the attorney suggests, and redact unnecessary information.

Under no circumstances would I provide them with tax returns, but that's a choice you'll have to make, as this may result in denial of coverage and require you to file a lawsuit if you wish to fight them.

However, the fact is that unless your state has laws against these sort of demands, as a private business they can demand whatever they want as a condition of providing coverage, and you either comply or your go elsewhere.

I would go elsewhere (I don't have health insurance, so that's easy for me to say), but I understand that most people are uncomfortable with "self-insuring" and paying into a savings account rather than sending money to an insurance company, so the decision will be a hard one.

Submitted Link #1: http://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/can-an-employer-...

My position is that my income and tax returns are not their business since I am not covered with the policy. The other documentation they need we don't have problems with. This is a large company with about 1,000 US employees.

Question: have any other readers had this issue come up? Thanks for everything. Best Regards

I’d like to share my experience registering a vehicle in the name of an LLC at a So-Cal AAA office. The vehicle was recently paid off and was titled in the name of my wife (maiden name) and her father, and the address listed on the registration was her parents’ house.

After purchasing an LLC from Rosie (highly recommended!), I had my wife sign the three spots on the vehicle title verifying the mileage and releasing all liability. I filled the title out with the name of the LLC in the name field and entered a ghost residence address and ghost mailing address, both in a faraway and very cold US state (apparently the CA DMV now requires a residence address). I then went to my local AAA office to complete the transaction.

After waiting about 15 mins, I ended up with a female clerk and explained that I wanted to register the vehicle in the name of my company. She said she wasn’t sure if it would be possible, so she excused herself to talk to a co-worker. After she came back, she asked who the people on the title were. I explained that one of them is my wife, and that we are gifting the vehicle to my company (I had to provide a “fair market value”). She never asked to see a marriage license, company documentation, or proof of address. She requested that I sign the title as “OWNER for ”, which I proceeded to do.

Because the ghost residence address and ghost mailing address are in different zip codes, California requires an additional address change form to be filled out. I filled it out with my company name, the VIN, license plate, and illegible signature (same format as above).

Just when I thought was home free, the clerk said “you need a smog check”. She marked all of the paperwork as “incomplete”, handed it back to me with a “front of the line” pass, and off I went to get a smog check. 45 minutes later was I back at her desk with a completed smog certificate. She then completed the registration with the DMV and handed me a copy with only my company name and (very very) far away ghost mailing address. I was charged only $15 for the transfer, and the current registration expiration date remained.

In conclusion, I highly recommend all So-Cal readers use a AAA office to register their vehicles in the name of an LLC.

I always used to put my SSN on a personal check for paying taxes, until one year when the IRS received my tax statement but lost my check with SSN and claimed I never paid. When I went into the local IRS office to discuss it, there were a lot of teenagers working there, who I assume were doing the grunt work at minimum wage. Their actions didn’t leave me with a lot of confidence in how things were handled.

I disagree with Charles about electronic payments. The last time I looked at this a few years ago, there were about five third-party companies that could process an electronic tax payment. Knowing how weak Internet security is at most companies, I would never trust my taxes or SSN to them. If submitting taxes directly to the IRS is possible someday I’ll consider that, not that their security would be much better.

... Minor detail: Regarding "with my SSN papercliped to a money order," IRS instructions are to not use paper clips.

Another route you might take is checking into your state's laws. Here in Mass. we had a free credit report law for years before the Feds created one. A year or 2 ago, I wrote to the 3 agencies to get a copy of my report with minimal info. 2 of the 3 complied, the third balked because of the Federal requirements. I simply wrote back and told them I was making my request under *state* law and did not have to provide what they asked for under that law. I got the reports in a couple of weeks.

Yesterday I was in another town and took a prescription to a Super Wal-Mart because they only charge $4. When asked for name etc. I rattled off a new name, Alaska address, and a date of birth I picked out of the air. No problem, right?

Well ... I returned later in the day and gave the name I use for the prescription. The clerk pulled it up on the computer and said, "What's your date of birth?"

Uh-oh! I didn't remember it!

She gave me a look like I was a bit flaky and then asked for my address. I said "Fairbanks, Alaska" and she decided that would do, so I got my prescription. But next time, I'll pick some date I can remember!

... Each time I go to a pharmacy, Joan, I print a name, address, and date of birth on a card. Then I hand this card to the clerk and say I have no phone number at the moment. Then I SAVE THE CARD and review it just before returning to pick up the prescription.

My driver's license is from another state which I keep because it's many years before it expires. And I don't have a utility bill since I'm living with a friend until I get my own house.

Is there a way to get my credit report while living in FL but having an out of state license and not having a utility bill? I can't believe how difficult these agencies have made it for consumers to get copies of their own reports.

Thanks for your help.

The positional error for civilian GPS units can be that large, but this is a feature of the hardware and software of the unit, not a matter of inherent accuracy of the GPS system. It's unknown whether or not the handheld units used by Census workers are military grade or not. I suspect they are near military grade and that the error is more likely on the order of a couple of feet, if not less. It also depends on whether they are using differential GPS systems, which uses a radio signal transmitted from a known benchmark location to improve the accuracy. Surveying-grade GPS with differential transmitters have a spherical error distance smaller than a marble.

There are also post-processing techniques that use the known skewing of the system and other factors, based on the precise instant of measurement in comparison with other measurements at known locations that can lend greater accuracy to one-time readings.

I expect that the TIGER database processing that makes use of this data is quite sophisticated and I'm guessing that the error is less than a meter in most cases.

"Besides in a lot of the country, wandering around property is trespassing and can get you shot and the district attorney wouldn’t even brother to file charges."

Well, that is an issue, and I do wonder where the authority lies for census workers to trespass for anything other than the actual enumeration. I'll have to look into it.

They do have the authority to come to your door for the enumeration however, even if you have a fence and a locked gate, though they usually won't scale fences to get to you. They will, however, wait outside and catch you as you leave to question you.

Shoot one and the FBI will come calling, because they are federal employees.

Whether you are compelled to answer the questions is another matter. The law says you are, but the penalty is a 100 dollar fine, and it's been levied only twice in the history of the census.

They will undertake a 90 day series of carefully programmed steps to get to you and get answers, and will badger you with supervisors and make threats to prosecute you, but it's mostly an idle threat.

DO NOT LIE TO THEM, which is a separate federal crime that the FBI can arrest you for. While the law requires you to answer their questions truthfully, IF YOU ANSWER, if you never give them the opportunity to ask the questions, they cannot sanction you, and if you simply remain silent, the worst they can possibly do is fine you 100 bucks, which is highly unlikely.

My plan, when they show up, is simply not to answer the door. If they approach me outside, my plan is to say "one person lives here" and then walk away. I will NOT answer any of the other intrusive personal questions they ask, including my name. My privacy is certainly worth a hundred bucks.

I purchased Invisible Money when it first came out. A friend was in trouble with the IRS and could not deposit his money in his own bank until he could work out a payment plan with the IRS.

In Invisible Money Mr Luna discusses older bank accounts. We brainstormed and came up with several ways to acquire an old bank account. My friend started looking for businesses for sale at dirt cheap prices. He really did not want the business, he wanted the business bank account. He found a one man lawn service business looking to sell his client list. He purchased the business (client list) for appx $3000. Included in the purchase. The business bank accounts which were opened in 1966. No social security number attached. Just a tax ID number.

He sold the business client list for his purchased price minus the bank accounts.

Most prepaid cards are beginning to require Social Security numbers. Vanilla Visa and American Express are being rejected right and left by any company which retain your information for future billings. You need to test the various cards in your area.

When PrivaCash began asking for SS numbers I discovered any numbers I put in worked. I'm discovering each prepaid card is different. For instance, I discovered Walgreens prepaid cards are accepted on websites which will reject Vanilla Visa and AMex prepaid. If you can afford to do so test different prepaid cards.

Just a note about nominees in New York. My friend used a non-American to open a bank account which was not associated with a SS#. The nominee was from Italy. Turn out they had a very common name. The agency which collects back child support took all monies from the account and will not return any funds until the person who opened the account prove they are not the person who owes back child support. My friend walked away from the account.