ID Theft Protection (H 7693, S 2386)

The General Assembly again took steps to protect the overuse of social security numbers, by prohibiting credit agencies from using an individual’s social security number as the sole means of verification matching a credit record to an inquiry by a merchant.  Privacy expert Robert Ellis Smith identifies false applications for credit using an individual’s social security number as one of the two major forms of identity theft, and notes that a significant portion of identity theft could be prevented if credit bureaus were required to use more than just a social security number to identify matching files.  This legislation will require agencies to use a second identifier, such as an address, prior address, or date of birth, among others.