A11
B USINESS
THE BULLETIN • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021
p
DOW
31,961.86 +424.51
p
NASDAQ
13,597.97 +132.77
bendbulletin.com/business
p
S&P 500
3,925.43 +44.06
p
30-YR T-BOND
2.24% +.04
p
CRUDE OIL
$63.22 +1.55
q
GOLD
$1,796.40 -8.00
p
SILVER
$27.86 +.17
p
EURO
$1.2148 +.0004
COVID-19
BRIEFING
ID theft targeting jobless claims has increased
BY MIKE ROGOWAY
The Oregonian
WSDA via Capital Press
Last year, thousands of
people across the U.S. re-
ceived unsolicited seed
packages in the mail.
USDA concludes
‘mystery seed’
investigation
The Oregon Employment
Department experienced a ten-
fold increase in identity theft
issues in 2020 as new jobless
claims poured in during the
pandemic, mirroring a spike
in claims that took place across
the country.
Cyberthieves capitalized on
the huge volume of unemploy-
ment claims filed during the
early months of the pandemic
to submit fraudulent bene-
fit applications. Washington
lost upwards of $200 million
during the pandemic; Califor-
nia’s losses top $11 billion.
But unlike several other
The U.S. Department
of Agriculture has con-
cluded its monthslong
investigation into last
year’s “mystery seed” case,
during which thousands
of people across the U.S.
received unsolicited seed
packages in the mail.
The Agriculture De-
partment said it found
no evidence that some-
one was trying to harm
U.S. agriculture. The
report concluded the
seeds were likely part of
an internet scam to help
a seller boost its search
results.
The investigation also
prompted the agency to
create new guidelines to
prevent such events in
the future.
The mass mailing
sparked concern about
foreign seeds. Both state
and federal agriculture
departments issued
warnings to citizens not
to plant the seeds, say-
ing the packages could
potentially contain inva-
sive species, pathogens
or pests.
states, Oregon won’t say how
much money was lost to fraud.
The employment depart-
ment rejected a public records
request submitted in Decem-
ber, citing a broad statutory ex-
emption from the records most
state agencies must disclose.
The department also refused
an accompanying request seek-
ing records explaining how it
reached the decision not to dis-
close information on fraud.
The employment depart-
ment maintains that thieves are
watching news coverage and
social networking groups for
clues as to how individual states
are fighting fraudulent activity.
Acting Director David
New-home sales
jump 4.3%
Demand for new
homes in the U.S. surged
4.3% in January with
the housing market still
one of the strongest seg-
ments of the economy.
Last month’s increase
pushed sales of new
homes to an adjusted
annual rate of 923,000,
the Commerce Depart-
ment reported Wednes-
day. That’s much stronger
than the 855,000 that
economists were expect-
ing. December’s new
home sales figure was re-
vised higher as well, from
842,000, to 885,000.
Sales of new homes
are now 19.3% higher
than they were last year
at this time.
“Sales would have
been much higher if
only builders could build
faster,” said Robert Frick,
economist with Navy
Federal Credit Union.
“Supply is only one issue,
and for many Americans
trying to buy their first
home, rising prices are
shutting them out of the
market.”
— Bulletin wire reports
See Theft / A12
Lawsuits
claim auto
insurers
overcharge
in pandemic
OREGON LEGISLATURE
Class-action lawsuits:
Companies failed to
account for a drop in
driving and crashes
BY MICHELLE L. PRICE
The Associated Press
Oculus Quest.
Others are racing to de-
velop similar web-conferenc-
ing capabilities under the no-
tion that holograms are more
engaging to work with than
tiles of faces on a computer
screen. On the fringe for
years, workplace holograms
would enable employees to
virtually re-create in-person
meetings whether they’re at
home or in the office.
LAS VEGAS — Class-action
lawsuits were filed in Nevada
against 10 major auto insur-
ance companies on Tuesday,
contending that the companies
charged excessive insurance
premiums during the pan-
demic by failing to account for
a drop in driving and crashes.
The lawsuits acknowledge
that some insurers provided
discounts over the emptier
roads and drop in accidents
and claims, but the discounts
did not offer “any meaningful
relief that actually reflects the
reduction in cars on the road
and reduced driving during
the pandemic,” according to
the court filings. The rates that
were charged violate state law
against excessive premiums,
the lawsuits contend.
The lawsuits were filed on
behalf of Nevada insurance
customers against State Farm,
USAA, Geico, Acuity, Liberty
Mutual, Farmers, Progressive,
Travelers, Nationwide and All-
state.
“The filing of a lawsuit does
not substantiate the allegations
within the complaint,” State
Farm, the country’s largest auto
insurer, said in a statement.
“We’ve recently learned about
the filing, and it is premature
to comment at this time.”
USAA was reviewing the
lawsuit, according to spokes-
man Matt Hartwig. “However,
I do think it’s important to
note that on three occasions
in 2020, USAA returned divi-
dends totaling $1.07 billion to
all auto insurance policy hold-
ers due to fewer drivers on the
road because of the ongoing
pandemic,” he said.
Liberty Mutual declined to
comment.
Phone and email messages
seeking comment from the
other insurers were not imme-
diately returned Tuesday.
States across the country
began reporting a decline
in traffic and crashes when
COVID-19-related closures
and stay-at-home orders were
imposed starting in the spring.
Companies that sell the ma-
jority of the policies across the
U.S. announced refunds or
credits to drivers.
The discounts provided by
insurers to reflect pandemic
driving conditions varied, from
$50 to $100 one-time refund
from Acuity, a 25% reduction
in bills from March 20 to May
31 from State Farm, to a 15%
credit from Geico only when
renewing a policy between
April 8 and Oct. 7, according
to the lawsuits.
See Holograms / A12
See Overcharge / A12
Funky electronics
chain Fry’s closes
Fry’s Electronics, the
go-to chain for tech tin-
kerers looking for an ob-
scure part, is closing for
good.
The company, perhaps
even more well known
for outlandish themes at
some of its stores, from
Aztec to “Alice’s Adven-
tures in Wonderland,”
said Wednesday in an
online posting that the
COVID-19 pandemic had
made it impossible to
continue.
The chain was concen-
trated on the West Coast,
but had 31 stores in nine
states. It was founded 36
years ago.
The pandemic has
done heavy damage to
retailers, but Fry’s was al-
ready getting hammered
by online competition
and a battle between
heavy-hitters Best Buy
and Amazon.com.
Gerstenfeld said that putting
a dollar figure to the state’s
losses, even for a full year,
could trigger a wave of at-
tempted theft that could drain
the state’s unemployment in-
surance trust fund and slow
payments to legitimately un-
employed Oregonians.
‘Goat yoga’
bill draws
support,
skepticism
T
BY MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
herapy and exercise classes involving livestock
could be permitted in Oregon’s exclusive farm
use zones under a bill that’s drawn skepticism
from agriculture and farmland protection groups.
Proponents of “goat yoga” are urging lawmakers to
pass Senate Bill 559, which would include livestock in
a land use provision under which counties can already
allow horse-related “exercise, therapeutic and counsel-
ing activities” in EFU zones.
PHOTOS FROM TOP: A Pygmy goat jump past Rebecca
Ballantine during goat yoga at Lil’ Holler Farm near
Westminster, Maryland, in 2017.
A bill in Oregon proposes allowing “livestock therapy,”
such as goat yoga, in exclusive farm use zones.
Ken Koons/Baltimore Sun/TNS; WSU Extension via Capital Press
See Yoga / A12
Will holograms be the next innovation
in the workplace after the pandemic?
BY DALVIN BROWN
The Washington Post
It’s a pressing question that
has yet to be answered: Once
the pandemic passes, what
will the return to work look
like for millions of Ameri-
cans?
Some tech companies have
said people can continue
to work from home indefi-
nitely. Surveys suggest that
most others are contemplat-
ing hybrid workspaces where
staffers rotate between work-
ing remotely and coming
into the office. The possible
post-coronavirus situation
has some companies envi-
sioning a future where peo-
ple can collaborate in more
interactive and engaging
ways, whether they’re on-
site or at home. One novel
approach is to use 3D holo-
grams.
Last month, Canada-based
ARHT Media launched Ho-
loPod, a 3D display system
that beams presenters into
meetings and conferences
they otherwise wouldn’t be
able to attend.
That same month, the 3D
graphics company Imverse
was recognized at the global
tech conference CES for soft-
ware that enables hologram
collaboration within virtual
meeting rooms. Last year,
Spatial enabled holograph-
ic-style virtual meetings on