[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 9, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E51]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE IDENTITY THEFT PREVENTION AND TIMELY REPORT ACT OF 
                                  2007

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                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 9, 2007

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address a 
horrible form of identity theft.
  We have heard plenty lately about the need to take swift action to 
prevent this serious crime. In 2006, one of the largest data security 
breaches in history occurred when the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
VA, lost the names, Social Security numbers, and the dates of birth of 
over 26 million Americans. We hear a lot about security breaches and 
the identity theft of living Americans. One aspect of the crime you do 
not always hear about is the misuse of personal information of deceased 
Americans.
  This is a serious issue for many reasons. For one, it is their loved 
ones who pay the price. Months or even years after a family member 
passes away, surviving spouses or other relatives will begin to receive 
credit card bills or even phone calls from bill collectors. A predator 
can go onto certain web sites and purchase Social Security numbers that 
are sold for purposes of tracking family histories and genealogy. The 
predator then uses the Social Security number to apply for credit 
cards, loans, and other forms of consumer credit.
  There were even reports that a predator was misusing the personal 
information of a New York City resident who died in the September 11, 
2001 terrorist attacks. In another case, a woman began to receive bills 
addressed to her daughter who had passed away 17 years before.
  In my hometown of San Diego, the local news media shed light on 
another unfortunate case. A predator took information on a woman 
published in an obituary and used it for identity theft crimes. It was 
up to her son to repair the damage and put an end to the abuse. I 
cannot imagine the emotional toll these cases must take on surviving 
relatives, and I rise today to take action to prevent further cases of 
this crime.
  It is time Congress acted to block this form of identity theft from 
continuing. Predators can collect this information with relative ease 
giving them a steady supply of Social Security numbers, dates of birth, 
and the information they need to commit these horrible crimes. 
Furthermore, this form of identity theft can ruin the good names and 
pristine credit histories of those who are deceased. Unless we take 
action, family members will continue to suffer from the misuse of their 
loved ones' personal information.
  The legislation I introduce today, the Identity Theft Prevention and 
Timely Report Act of 2007, requires that the Federal Government inform 
each national credit bureau when an individual passes away. In turn, 
the credit bureaus will flag the histories of those who are deceased 
and potential creditors will know not to issue lines of credit or new 
loans to those attempting to misuse personal information.
  Madam Speaker, I urge that we act to stop this vicious form of 
identity theft and protect the relatives of America's deceased.

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