PROVIDENCE—A
new report released today by the Rhode Island Public Interest Research
Group (RIPIRG) and AARP-RI calls for Rhode Island to take four new
steps to fight identity theft. The report release comes just three
months after a major security breach at the RI.gov website that exposed
thousands of Rhode Islanders to identity theft and as the General
Assembly considers legislation that would strengthen the state’s
identity theft protections.
The new report called, “Self Defense 101: Four Ways Rhode Island Can Empower Consumers And Protect Them From Identity Fraud And Credit Mistakes,”
details four policy solutions to combat identity theft and credit
mistakes. According to the report as many as 12,500 Rhode Islanders may
be victimized by identity theft each year and as many as one in four
credit reports contain serious errors.
“Identity
theft is a growing threat and consumers need the right tools to be able
to fight back,” said Matt Auten, Advocate with the Rhode Island Public
Interest Research Group (RIPIRG). “We are looking forward to working
with the General Assembly this year to pass legislation that makes sure
Rhode Islanders get the tools that they need to protect themselves.”
“AARP-RI
State Director, Kathleen Connell stated, “We need to support
legislation that provides effective protections against the
unauthorized dissemination of information of financial, credit, retail,
communications and medical services. Consumers should not have to pay
to protect their credit information.”
The four policy steps that RIPIRG and AARP are advocating for the General Assembly to take are to:
•
Strengthen the state’s new security breach notice law. The law was
intended to improve data security and require consumers to be notified
when their personal data is compromised, but the current law is
inadequate because, among other reasons, it probably would not have
covered the recent data breaches of the RI.gov website.
•
Enact a strong security freeze law that gives consumers the right to
freeze and control access to their credit reports, so that consumers
can help prevent identity theft before it happens.
•
Establish consumer-driven credit monitoring by giving consumers the
right to obtain up to twelve low-cost credit reports each year from
each credit reporting bureau, so they can monitor their own credit
reports for instances of fraud and mistakes.
•
Limit the availability of Social Security Numbers, which often serve as
the keys that identity thieves use to unlock a consumer’s financial
identity.
Identity
theft has been called one of the nation’s fastest growing crimes. In
September 2003, the Federal Trade Commission released a survey showing
that 27.3 million Americans had been victims of identity theft in the
previous five years, including 9.9 million people in the previous year.
According to the survey, identity theft cost businesses and financial
institutions nearly $48 billion, while consumer victims reported $5
billion in out-of-pocket expenses in 2002.
“More
and more of our personal data is being collected and stored than every
before. Sloppy data practices and credit report mistakes are costing
consumers hard earned dollars and increasing their vulnerability to
identity theft. As consumer groups, we are asking the General Assembly
to give Rhode Island consumers the right to know when their information
is lost or stolen, the right to control access their own credit reports
and the tools to effectively monitor their own credit reports.
With these basic rights, consumers will have more ways to protect
themselves from identity crimes and credit mistakes.” Auten concluded.
A
number of other states have already taken similar steps to tighten
identity theft protections including California, Colorado, Connecticut,
Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, New Jersey, Nevada, North Carolina, Texas,
Vermont and Washington.
