Keep Your Personal Information Safe in Pennsylvania
Divorce is hard enough, but what happens when your personal information is stolen or inappropriately posted during the divorce process?
Target. Equifax. SEC. Whole Foods. Facebook. It seems like every news cycle brings another report about another entity that has your personal data being hacked. Is the risk the same with documents you must file with Court in order to divorce?
Years ago, Pennsylvania courts stopped routinely requiring social security numbers in court documents. As of January 6, 2018, Pennsylvania added a further restriction via a new Public Access Policy. Under this new regulation, the following information cannot be entered in any documents filed within the Pennsylvania justice system:
- Social security numbers
- Names and birthdates of minors
- Driver’s license or State Identification numbers
- Abuse victims’ address or contact information
- Financial Account numbers, except the last four digits
Instead, this information is entered on a separate filing that is held confidentially by the Court and not available to the general public. In addition, certain documents such as Adoption papers or Martial Settlement Agreements are now deemed Confidential Documents accessible only to the parties involved.
Your attorney is under ethical guidelines to keep your private information safe as well. In divorce, support, custody and name change, information such as social security numbers and financial documents or property records will be required by your lawyer, but he or she in return must safeguard your information within the confines of the law.
You can further safeguard your own private information by also doing the following:
- When you send financial documents such as loan or bank statements, record of asset values or debts or other sensitive documents to your attorney, be sure to redact (black out with a marker) all except the last four digits of account numbers.
- Remember that email is porous. Although it may be easiest to scan and email documents, it might be safer to copy and send the needed documents via regular mail. Faxes are also more secure, but check with your attorney as most offices – just like Staples and other retailers – charge per page for faxes received.
The best policy is to provide ONLY the minimum personal information necessary for your attorney to represent you. The fewer people who have access to your full account numbers and other information, the fewer opportunities thieves will have to hack your life. Divorce is hard enough. Protect yourself from the added stress of information theft.
If you want to learn more, please contact Elissa Goldberg, Esquire at 215-345-5259
– Elissa C. Goldberg, Esquire
Law Office of Elissa C. Goldberg
107 North Broad Street, Suite 211
Doylestown, PA 18901