Press Releases
02/11/2019
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG JOINS 31 ATTORNEYS GENERAL IN SIGNING MULTI-STATE LETTER SUPPORTING FTC IDENTITY THEFT RULES
Attorney General William Tong today joined 31 other attorneys general in sending a letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging the FTC to continue its Identity Theft Rules, which were initially adopted in November 2007.
The letter cites the success of the rules. That success is due in part to the way the rules were drafted. The rules' flexibility has allowed them to remain impactful even as technology has evolved. In light of the proliferation of identity theft in many states, the rules are as important now as they were when they were issued.
The rules require certain financial institutions and businesses that grant credit or issue debit or credit cards to take steps to detect, prevent and mitigate identity theft by implementing reasonable safeguards. The letter also suggests adding a requirement that cardholders must be notified by email or cell phone if an email address or cell phone number associated with their account is changed. This is in addition to the existing requirement to mail notification upon change of the account address.
The attorneys general also ask that suspicious account activity include account access by new and previously unknown devices and repeated unsuccessful access attempts.
"Identity theft can cause widespread financial harm to our residents, our businesses – both large and small – and our economy. We cannot afford to be negligent when it comes to protecting consumers' data privacy and security. The Identity Theft Rules not only help to stop fraudulent accounts from being opened but also safeguard the security, confidentiality and integrity of individuals' personal information. By continuing and strengthening these rules, we can better prevent data breaches and more effectively protect consumers' privacy and their checkbooks," Attorney General Tong said.
Assistant Attorneys General Michele Lucan and John Neumon, and Jeremy Pearlman, head of the Privacy and Data Security Department, are assisting the Attorney General with this matter.
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