Saying
the federal government has done “too little too late” after it
announced that the private information of 26.5 million veterans had
been stolen, Massachusetts veterans and legislators today called for
state action to strengthen protections against the crime of identity
theft. To date, 20 states have passed laws to address the growing
problem of identity theft.
“Frankly,
I’m angry that more hasn’t been done by the federal government to
protect our personal information,” said US Army Veteran Jeanne
Cristiano of Everett. “It’s up to the state to step in and help me and
my fellow veterans by giving us the tools to stop criminals from
stealing our identities and running up thousands of dollars of charges
without our knowledge.”
At
a State House press conference the group of veterans from around
Massachusetts joined legislative sponsors of identity theft legislation
and the co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal
Affairs, Rep. Anthony Verga and Senator Stephen Brewer, to call for
passage of an identity theft bill before the end of the session that
includes specific notice requirements for companies and government
agencies, allows consumers to place security freezes on their credit
information, and increases penalties for the crime of identity theft.
“Every
month we hear news of consumers’ personal information being stolen or
compromised,” said Senator Jarrett Barrios, who is sponsoring a
comprehensive identity theft bill with Representative Michael Costello
and MASSPIRG. “Identity theft is a serious crime and deserves a serious
response from the Legislature. It’s time for the state to strengthen
penalties and give people the tools to protect themselves.”
The
Veterans’ Administration failed to promptly notify veterans and their
spouses that their information had been compromised by the May 3rd
theft of VA records. Yesterday (Wednesday), the VA admitted that on top
of the 26.5 million veterans and their spouses whose data was stolen,
personal data on about 2.2 million active-duty military and Guard
personnel - not just 50,000 as initially believed - were also among
those stolen.
Even
the legislature’s own House Chairman of the Veterans and Federal
Affairs Committee, Anthony Verga of Gloucester, is not immune to the VA
breach. As a Navy veteran, Rep. Verga received a letter from the VA on
Tuesday informing him that his data was potentially exposed.
The
information that was stolen from the VA puts veterans, active duty
military men, and their families at risk for identity theft. Over 84
million US residents have had their information compromised since
February 2005. According to the Better Business Bureau, almost 9
million residents were victims of ID theft in 2005 alone and the
average amount that is stolen from victims was $6,383 in 2006 up from
$5,885 in 2005. In addition, the average amount of time that it takes
to resolve identity theft was at a high of 40 hours per victim in 2006
compared to 28 hours in 2005.
“Right
now over twenty states have created laws to address the problem of
identity theft,” said Eric Bourassa, Consumer Advocate with MASSPIRG.
“Unfortunately, Massachusetts residents have few protections against
identity theft unless state lawmakers pass similar safeguards.”
The
House of Representatives is currently considering a wide-ranging
identity theft bill, HB 4775, released in March by the Joint Committee
on Consumer Protection and Professional Legislature and based on over
six bills filed at the beginning of the Legislative session.
Legislators say a vote is needed on the bill, which is sitting in the
House Ways and Means Committee, before the end of the legislative
session in July.
"The
Veterans security breach and the delayed notification to them from the
Federal Government clarifies further the need for Massachusetts to act
now to quickly pass strong notification requirements and credit freeze
protections for the citizens of this State," said Representative Bill
Straus (D-Mattapoisett) co-chair of the Joint Subcommittee on Identity
Theft of the Legislature.
The
group of legislators and veterans said any bill passed by the
Legislature must, at the very least, include the following three
protections:
Breach Notification:
Requires companies, government agencies and other institutions to
notify consumers and law enforcement immediately of any data security
breach. This allows law enforcement to respond quickly and alerts
potential victims to take action, such as monitoring their credit
reports.
Credit Report Security Freeze:
Allows individual consumers the ability to block access to his or her
credit report through the use of a password or personal identification
number. This is the only tool proven to stop identity theft in its
tracks, blocking would-be thieves from getting credit in the victim's
name. A security freeze does not hamper a consumer's ability to use
existing credit, or seek new credit, as a consumer can temporarily
remove the freeze by using their PIN.
Increased Penalties: Makes criminals that commit identity theft face longer jail sentences and increased fines.
# # #
States That Have Passed Security Freeze Laws
Security Freeze Available to All Residents
California
Passed: 9/2001, Effective: 1/1/2003
Colorado
Passed: 6/2005, Effective: 7/1/2006
Connecticut
Passed: 6/2005, Effective: 1/1/2006
Illinois
Passed: 5/2006, Effective: 1/1/2007
Kentucky
Passed: 3/2006, Effective: 7/1/2006
Louisiana
Passed: 7/2004, Effective: 7/1/2005
Maine
Passed: 5/2005, Effective: 2/1/2006
Minnesota
Passed: 5/2006, Effective: 8/1/2006
Nevada
Passed: 6/2005, Effective: 8/1/2005
New Hampshire
Passed: 5/2006, Effective: 1/1/2007
New Jersey
Passed: 9/2005, Effective: 1/1/2006
North Carolina
Passed: 9/2005, Effective: 12/1/2005
Utah
Passed: 3/2006, Effective: 9/1/2008
Vermont
Passed: 6/2004, Effective: 7/1/2005
Wisconsin
Passed: 3/2006, Effective: 1/1/2007
Security Freeze Available Only to Identity Theft Victims
Hawaii
Passed: 5/2006, Effective: 1/1/2007
Kansas
Passed: 4/2006, Effective: 1/1/2007
South Dakota
Passed: 3/2006, Effective: 7/1/2003
Texas
Passed: 5/2003, Effective: 9/1/2003
Washington
Passed: 5/2005, Effective: 7/1/2005
Veterans present at the press conference:
• Jeanne Cristiano of Everett. US Army veteran.
• Dan Rizzo of Revere. US Navy veteran
• Tim Schofield of Boston. Gulf War veteran.
• Rep. Anthony Verga of Gloucester. US Navy veteran and House chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs.
