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Community Corner

Maryland Senate Bills Aim to Help Victims of Identify Theft

Bills would provide additional financial restitution, prohibit assuming an identity.

A major issue that continues to be of concern in Maryland is identity theft. As technology continues to advance, criminals are still finding ways to either steal the identities of our citizens or to establish fictitious identities in order to commit fraud or evade law enforcement.  

Especially in today’s economy, it is extremely important that citizens take the necessary measures to protect themselves and that we as legislators continue to take additional steps to combat identity theft as well as provide aid to victims.

For the 11th year in a row, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports it has received an overwhelming amount of complaints of identity theft—more than in any other area, and second only to fraudulent government documents. According to the FTC, more than 9 million Americans fall victim to identity theft each year, and Maryland is certainly no exception. In fact, Maryland ranks 9th in the nation for identity theft complaints per capita and 2nd in the nation for fraud complaints.

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Fortunately, there are methods that can be taken to prevent becoming a victim of identity theft. The number-one recommendation is to put a security freeze on your credit report. Although cumbersome, since you will have to lift the freeze each time you apply for credit, this will make it difficult for anyone to open new accounts in your name.  

Additionally, identity thieves will often sift through garbage for personal information, so it is also advisable to shred any document containing any such information.

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Another preventative measure that can be taken is to secure your home computer with strong security controls and common sense practices. Only provide personal information to trustworthy sites, and always be sure to check the web address to make sure it is legitimate.   

It is also advisable to check your credit report regularly and to keep a record of when all financial mail should be received, which could alert one if his information has been intercepted. These are only a few of the recommended safeguards and should not be considered a cure-all.

In response to this continuing problem, this session I have co-sponsored Senate Bill 97, which would expand the circumstances in which a victim of identity fraud may claim restitution from the perpetrator. It also adds to the list of expenses that may be covered.

These expenses include wages lost by the victim while attempting to remediate his or her credit report and could also include the victim’s legal fees and other expenses incurred as the result of the identity theft. Identity theft can be devastating; I believe the least we can do is attempt to reimburse victims for their losses.

Another bill that's already passed the full Senate with my support—and is currently in the House for consideration—is Senate Bill 500, which would prohibit a person from assuming a fictitious identity in order to evade law enforcement or to obtain credit, goods, services or benefits.

I am hopeful both of these bills will pass and will provide additional levels of protection from identity theft.

Our primary purpose in Annapolis is to best serve our district, county and state. In doing so, we depend primarily on the opinions of the people we represent. If you have a position or question on any issue, please let me know by calling 410-841-3587, writing to me at 216 James Senate Office Bldg, 11 Bladen Street, Annapolis, MD 21401 or by e-mail, norman.stone@senate.state.md.us.

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