Last month, NYC passed a law regulating customer data collected by food delivery services from online orders.  Effective at the end of the year, the law will require delivery services (such as DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats) to furnish customer data (including name, phone number, email and delivery addresses, order contents) at least on a monthly basis to restaurants that request it until the restaurant requests not to receive it.

The law also requires that delivery services disclose to

Last month,  NYC’s new biometric data protection law became effective. The law applies to many local commercial establishments including stores, entertainment venues, and restaurants. The law requires the posting of a sign giving notice of biometric data collection and prohibits transacting in biometric data.

Covered establishments are required to post notices if they collect, retain or share “biometric identifier information” — “physiological or biological characteristic[s] … used by or on

Checking your credit report, an important personal finance management tool, has taken on new significance in the wake of COVID.

Your credit report contains your credit history: how much debt you’ve incurred and what type, your debt payment history, loan balances, repossessions or foreclosures, liens, judgments, and bankruptcies. It contains a list of every credit account you’ve opened.

Credit history is used to formulate your credit score which determines eligibility for all types of credit

Phishing is a widely known scam in which messages “fishing” for your personal information are sent to you via email. Generally, the message is not personalized, although phishing can be targeted to an individual or entire company. (This is called “spear” phishing.) The messages appear to be from a reputable organization like a financial services provider (your bank), but they are fraudulent. The scammer’s goal is identity theft: to obtain your personal info or credentials to steal your money

The tragic events in Miami surrounding the collapse of the Champlain Towers South building have spurred many people to donate funds to those struck by the disaster.  Unfortunately, reports have surfaced of donors being scammed through fraudulent sites. 

If you want to donate, be mindful of the following to avoid being victimized: Fake charities can look real, with scammers choosing a name similar to a legit charity’s name, complete with an authentic-looking logo. Make sure you give by check or

After you have your COVID-19 vaccine, you get a CDC vaccination card that tells you what vaccine you received, the date you received it, and where or from which healthcare professional you received it. It will also contain your full name, date of birth, vaccine lot and location, and your patient number -- your medical record or IIS (Immunization Identification Systems) number. The card is updated when you get a second vaccination.

While you should keep your vaccination card safe and secure for