On Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:44:26 GMT, "JB" wrote:

One place I worked at stole mine right off the wall before firing me
"because they couldn't throw me in jail for anything". I simply reported
the theft to the FCC and they gave me a new certificate with a new number.

Chuckle. That like that happened to me, twice. I worked for a
communications shop where I was the only one with a license. After I
left, they continued to use my license number or repair logs for
several years. When I worked for a radio manufactory, they made a
rubber stamp with my license number and continued to use it for
several years after I left.

At one point, I let my license expire because I couldn't find it for a
few years after moving. I had to take all 4 elements plus radar
endorsement again from scratch. I passed 1, 3 and 4, but messed up
from overconfidence on element 2. That meant that I had to do all of
it again in a month. This time I studied and passed. To save on gas
and parking in downtown San Francisco, a small group of techs and
engineers went together. We had all studied the latest semiconductor
and radio technology that we worked with every day. However, the test
was exactly the same as the one I had taken about 10 years previously.
Tubes, dynamotors, Marconi antennas, Faraday shields, and other
technology from the stone age. A few of the techs failed the exam
because they had never studied or worked with a tube radio.

Ever since then, I would only display a copy stamped COPY, but I won't even
do that any more because some one might try to use it. Someone tried that
once and got caught. Stupid is trying to send in a bogus application to the
FCC.

In theory, that won't happen with the ULS system and FRN number as
long as your password is secure.

Some one tried that once and FCC mailed it back to me asking if I knew
anything about it. Ye haw! It's like going into a doctor's office for an
examination and telling them you need the prescription "for a friend". It's
like pulling a gun on a cashier and saying "I don't want to hurt anyone".

I haven't had that problem. A friend that runs an avionics shop
casually mentioned that about half of the GROL licenses he sees are
counterfeits. He says they seem to use random license numbers, which
are easy to verify with a ULS web search. Why they bother is beyond
my limited imagination.

Incidentally, identity theft, or rather identity borrowing, is why I
don't post my resume online. I've had to deal with several attempts
at impersonating me or borrowing my history on job applications. None
were financially or professionally detrimental, but the potential is
there.


--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558