Category Archives: Financial Accounts

Estate Planning for Online Financial Accounts

PayPal Faces Proposed Class Action Lawsuit Related to Charitable Donations

On February 28, 2017, a complaint was filed against PayPal in a proposed class action lawsuit related to charitable donations. PayPal provides online-payment processing services, including enabling customers to donate money to charitable organizations. PayPal Giving Fund is a charitable … Continue reading

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Convertible Virtual Currency (Like Bitcoin) is Subject to U.S. Money-Laundering Rules

On March 18, 2013, the the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network released new interpretive guidance regarding “convertible virtual currency” for purposes of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). The BSA requires financial institutions in the United States to report cash transactions … Continue reading

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How Secure Are Your Online Account Passwords?

With announcements this month from popular Web sites LinkedIn, eHarmony, and Last.fm that a significant number of user passwords may have been compromised, it’s a good time to ask yourself, “How secure are your passwords?” It’s also a good time … Continue reading

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Update on Whether It’s a Crime for Fiduciaries to Access a Decedent’s Online Accounts

I’ve written previously that using an incapacitated or deceased person’s passwords to access that person’s online accounts may not be permitted under the Web service’s Terms of Service contract, and it might even be construed as “unauthorized access” under a … Continue reading

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How to Delete Online Accounts and Digital Footprints

On November 10, 2011, Jeffrey A. Lambert posted a story at Maximum PC called How to Erase Your Digital Footprint. The article describes how much information Facebook, Google, and other companies collect about your Web browsing and other Internet activities, especially … Continue reading

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Jim Lamm Interviewed on Public Radio: Your Digital Afterlife

On April 15, 2011, I participated in an hour–long panel discussion titled “Your Digital Afterlife” that was broadcast on public radio station WFAE 90.7 FM in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. Mike Collins, the host of the “Charlotte Talks” daily talk … Continue reading

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Identity Fraud Dropped 28% in 2010

According to the 2011 Identity Fraud Survey Report released on February 8, 2011, by Javelin Strategy & Research, identity fraud dropped by 28% in 2010. In terms of the number of identity fraud incidents, that’s a drop of about three million … Continue reading

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Estate Planning for Online and Electronic Financial Accounts

After obtaining access to a person’s e–mail accounts and U.S Mail deliveries, another important step in dealing with the person’s incapacity or death is to locate information about the person’s financial world. In the digital world, Intuit’s Quicken and Microsoft’s … Continue reading

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