Typically while on life support, you need extra measures to keep you alive. If there are certain life-sustaining treatments you prefer not to undergo, initial and check accordingly. In our example, Greg Smith does not wish to have ventilation treatment while on life support. Warning: Selecting to withdraw from life-sustaining treatment can lead to death, choose carefully.
It's important that your family members and care providers know your preferences for end-of-life care. When you have a Living Will, you're making your wishes clear. It's difficult to think about potentially devastating situations, but preparation is key. If you haven't put your choices in writing, your family members may be forced to make tough decisions for you.
Identity theft can be partially mitigated by not identifying oneself unnecessarily (a form of information security control known as risk avoidance). This implies that organizations, IT systems and procedures should not demand excessive amounts of personal information or credentials for identification and authentication. Requiring, storing and processing personal identifiers (such as Social Security number, national identification number, driver's license number, credit card number, etc.) increases the risks of identity theft unless this valuable personal information is adequately secured at all times. Committing personal identifiers to memory is a sound practice that can reduce the risks of a would-be identity thief from obtaining these records. To help in remembering numbers such as social security numbers and credit card numbers, it is helpful to consider using mnemonic techniques or memory aids such as the mnemonic Major System.
Notify your agent that you have signed a power of attorney. If your chosen agent is not present when you sign your power of attorney forms, you will need to notify them that you have signed a power of attorney granting them permission to take certain actions on your behalf. This gives the agent notice of their ability to make decisions for you in specific situations.
Schemes to commit identity theft or fraud may also involve violations of other statutes such as identification fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1028), credit card fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1029), computer fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1030), mail fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1341), wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343), or financial institution fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1344). Each of these federal offenses are felonies that carry substantial penalties –¬ in some cases, as high as 30 years' imprisonment, fines, and criminal forfeiture.
A person who acts under a power of attorney is a fiduciary. A fiduciary is someone responsible for managing some or all of another person's affairs. The fiduciary must act prudently and in a way that is fair to the person whose affairs he or she is managing. Someone who violates those duties can face criminal charges or can be held liable in a civil lawsuit.
