TMCnet News
Bill aims to limit access to Social Security numbers: Giving consumers control(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Feb. 17--It really irks state Sen. Russell Decker when a business unnecessarily asks for his Social Security number on an application or registration form. But he's not shy about refusing to provide it. "I just say: 'No, I'm not going to give it to you. You don't need it,' " said Decker, a Democrat from Schofield, noting that video rental stores and hotels are among those to which he has declined to disclose his Social Security number. He thinks that with identity theft a rapidly growing crime, it's time for the state to make it easier for everyone to boldly say "no" -- and still receive service -- when a business inappropriately asks for a Social Security number. In addition to prohibiting discrimination businesses against people who won't disclose their Social Security number, Decker's bill, which was crafted with the help of Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager's office, also would stop employers from asking for Social Security numbers of job applicants before they're hired. That, in theory, would prevent the written applications of say, teenagers who sought a job at a fast-food restaurant but didn't get it, from having their private information insecurely disposed of or left where an ID thief would have access. "The Social Security number is almost like a brand on us. That's how everybody IDs us," Decker said. "That's not the intention of Social Security numbers." Decker's bill comes as the crime of identify theft, in which a crook poses as someone else in order to raid bank accounts or fraudulently make purchases on credit, is growing in Wisconsin. In 2005, the number of reported ID theft complaints rose 5.1% to 2,782 in Wisconsin, according to the Federal Trade Commission. About 28% of the nearly 10,000 complaints from state residents to the commission last year involved some form of ID theft, of which credit card fraud was the most prevalent. In a hearing on Decker's bill at the Capitol earlier this week, Lautenschlager called identity theft "the fastest growing financial crime in the country." She said Decker's bill, which includes provisions drawn from laws in other states, is needed to keep up with the ever-changing arena of identity theft. "We're seeing that despite promises of confidentiality, Social Security numbers are being compromised," Lautenschlager said in an interview. "One of the things we're concerned about is the sort of regularity with which businesses demand Social Security numbers even when there is no real purpose or need for them -- where other identifying information might well suffice." The bill also would ban employers from using a Social Security number or any derivative of the number on employee ID cards. In addition to the use of Social Security numbers, Decker's bill addresses some other issues related to ID theft: -- The bill would allow consumers to put a "freeze" on the release of credit reports that are checked companies before they grant someone a new credit card or other kind of debt. The security freeze would enable a consumer to control who receives a copy of credit reports kept national credit reporting agencies. Some businesses, such as banks, still would be allowed access. But others, such as retailers, wouldn't be able to view the credit information without the prior authorization of the consumer. That, in effect, would prevent an identity thief from opening up an account in someone else's name. -- The bill would make stealing from a mailbox a felony punishable up to 3 1/2 years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000. Currently, mail theft is a misdemeanor, carrying a maximum nine months in jail or $10,000 fine, or both. Decker said the measure is particularly important to rural areas of Wisconsin, where people often place out-going mail -- sometimes containing checks to pay bills -- in their roadside mailboxes and put up the red flag to let the carrier know to pick it up. -- The bill would increase penalties for an identity thief who targets children, the elderly or disabled people. The bill would add $5,000 to the existing $10,000 fine in those cases, and another five years to the maximum six-year prison term. Not all Decker's fellow lawmakers are enthusiastic about some of the bill's provisions. State Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), for instance, doesn't like the idea of making mail theft a felony in Wisconsin without first showing that a harsher approach is needed toward people who steal from mailboxes. Grothman also questioned whether tougher penalties were needed for ID thieves who use the personal information of young, elderly or disabled victims. Cheryl McCollum, spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Bankers Association, said there are "really a lot of good things in this bill." |