Vegas Voice - Cracking Down on Identity Theft

Cracking Down on Identity Theft (Vegas Voice, August 2006)

By the time you read this column, early voting for the primary will have begun. The last day to vote is August 15, in your normal polling place. I urge you to turn out to vote because the differences among the candidates this cycle are really striking. You can make a difference.
Identity theft is one of the issues I have been stressing. It is a problem I have worked on in the Legislature and I pledge to do even more about it as your Governor.

As you know, identity theft is a growing problem nationally. How often do we see or read about it in the news, and who hasn't seen television ads or received mail from companies offering protection against identity theft? Unfortunately, Nevada is second only to Arizona in the number of identity theft crimes per capita. And while everyone is vulnerable, seniors are the preferred targets of these criminals.

The Legislature has enacted laws to crack down on identity theft. In the 2003 session, I co-sponsored Senate Bill 297, which addresses one of the common means of appropriating a person's vital information. It prohibits the use of scanning devices to steal the magnetic stripe information from a person's credit or debit card and establishes stiff penalties for this crime.

I also supported two other bills in the 2003 session that apply to seniors and identity theft. Assembly Bill 73 lowers the age of a victim from 65 to 60 as the threshold for imposing an enhanced penalty for crimes against seniors, including deceptive telephone solicitation and trade practices. Assembly Bill 126 revises the definition of "exploitation" to include acts to convert the money, assets, or property of an older person with the intent to deprive the person of ownership or benefit.

In the 2005 session I co-sponsored Senate Bill 347, which also became law. It makes financial forgery laboratories illegal and establishes severe penalties for those caught in this nefarious scam. It further enhances penalties for identity theft involving persons 60 years or older. SB 347 also increases protections against illicit collection or dissemination of personal information and requires issuers of credit cards to provide information on their policies and procedures regarding identity theft before issuing a card.

I also fought for Senate Bill 304 in 2005. This law is designed to help people who have become victims of identity theft. It authorizes the Attorney General to issue an "identity theft passport" that you can present to avoid detention for acts committed by the person who stole your identity or present to a creditor in the case of a fraudulent charge made or bogus account opened in your name by the identity thief.

We've made progress, but there are still problems. Here are some helpful hints about how to learn more about identity theft and what do in the unfortunate case that your personal information or identification is stolen. You can get information and help from the Nevada Attorney General's web site at http://ag.state.nv.us or call toll-free 1-877-213-5227. Both the recording and the web site give instructions for obtaining the "identity theft passport" authorized by SB 304. The Federal Trade Commission also has useful information at 1-877-382-4357 or ftc.gov/idtheft.

As Governor I'll make identity theft a top priority, particularly against seniors. I will work with the Attorney General to create a special identity theft task force. I will also call for stiffer penalties for all identity thieves. They'll find their own new identity—in prison!
Please don't forget to vote in the primary election. I would be honored to have your support and your vote.

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