More Government Malfeasance Online in Oregon

I believe my ID & credit info was leaked to crooks from the Oregon Secretary of State's Office twice.

First with a credit card that I only used for political expenditures like when I demanded a hand recount after my 2012 GOP CD1 Primary race. Soon after using this card to pay for my recount over the phone, I was informed by my bank that my card was being used by someone else. Thankfully the bank recognized the issue, canceled the card and re-issued me another card.

The last issue occurred 2/12/14 when I learned that someone else had stolen my identity and filed a fraudulent tax return using my SS, DOB & name. When I reported it to the IRS, I asked what address the crook had used to file their return. The IRS agent stubbornly refused to give me their location, even the state in which the criminal lived, saying that they did not wish to have citizens harassing those individuals who were committing fraud. 

In order to verify that I was indeed the true owner of my identity, the IRS agent asked me to confirm the name of my 2012 employers, one of which was a signature gathering firm. She was very insistent as to wanting to know exactly what initiative I had been gathering signatures for. This is striking as to my knowledge there is nothing on my 2012 taxes that mentioned which issue I was working on yet she was adamant that she wanted to know what my petition was for.

Thankfully I have re-located back to the Midwest, away from the "in your face" corruption that runs rampant in Leftist Oregon. God Bless the many wonderful honest citizens of Oregon, perhaps the Oregon "house of corruption" will finally fall now that both the Secretary of State & Cover Oregon sites have been shown to be complete disasters.

The Oregon Secretary of State's Office on February 4, 2014 took down ORESTAR as part of its security response to an unauthorized intrusion. We are continuing to conduct an investigation in accordance with our security protocols. So far, there is no evidence that sensitive financial information has been compromised. As a security precaution, all user passwords have been deleted. That means you will be required to create a new password the next time you use ORESTAR. If you use the same password for other personal accounts, we strongly recommend that you change the password for them as well. 

ORESTAR users should be aware of another potential security issue. Encryption is used to protect bank account numbers for political action committees stored in ORESTAR. ORESTAR does not store routing numbers used to make financial transactions. Based on the evidence gathered so far, we do not believe that this information was compromised. We are, nevertheless, providing this notice to ensure that you are aware of this incident and so that, if you feel it is necessary to do so, you may take steps to monitor your credit and identity. To obtain additional information about this event, please contact our support team at 1-866-328-1987 and provide them with Access Code: 63128. 

Password Update: Once the website applications have been restored, please log in to your ORESTAR or Central Business Registry account and change your password by visiting:  https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oim/login

If you share similar passwords with other accounts, we recommend that you reset those passwords out of an abundance of caution.

Review Credit Reports: We encourage you to review account statements and to monitor your credit reports. Under U.S. law, you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228.

Fraud Alert: At no charge, you can have the credit bureaus place a “fraud alert” on your file that alerts creditors to take additional steps to verify your identity prior to granting credit. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts on your file. Note: A fraud alert may also delay your ability to obtain credit while the agency verifies your identity. 

Security Freeze: By placing a security freeze, someone who fraudulently acquires your personal identifying information will not be able to use that information to open new accounts or borrow money in your name. You will need to contact the three national credit reporting bureaus listed above in writing to place the freeze. Keep in mind that when you place the freeze, you will not be able to borrow money, obtain instant credit, or get a new credit card until you temporarily lift or permanently remove the freeze. The cost of placing the freeze varies by the state you live in and for each credit reporting agency. However, if you are a victim of identity theft and have filed a report with your local law enforcement agency or submitted an ID Theft Complaint Form with the Federal Trade Commission, there may be no charge to place the freeze.

You can obtain additional information about the steps you can take to avoid identity theft from the following: 

Identity Theft Clearinghouse

Federal Trade Commission

600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20580
www.consumer.gov/idtheft
1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338)

TDD: 1-202-326-2502

Again, please be assured that your safety and security are very important to us. We regret any inconvenience or concern that this matter may have caused you. 

Very truly yours,

Kate Brown

Oregon Secretary of State