I've reported that 35 states plus the District of Columbia have passed security freeze, or credit freeze legislation. But what happens behind closed doors? What's the story? Who are the players? The story of how an individual in Delaware took the credit freeze issue up and built up a massive coalition against big bucks to pass a law in his state recently ran in the Washington Post.
THIS IS FROM YOUR NUMBER ONE CONSUMER ADVOCATE IN TEXAS.
Please read the rest of the story concerning the new "Identity Theft Freeze Law" in Texas.
Everyone has missed the very important amendment that was passed by Texas. YOU CAN TEMPORARILY LIFT YOUR CREDIT FREEZE IN TEXAS VIA PHONE AS OF SEPT 1, 2007
I like to call it the "Texas Cell Phone ID Theft Freeze Law". This also allows you to be creditor specfic (i.e., Only Sprint can pull if you so state when you lift the freeze) if you want.
You will love this!!!!!!!
Read Section 20.037, Subsection B-1a and b-1b.
Amend SB 222 by adding the following appropriately numbered
SECTION to the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill
accordingly:
SECTION ____. Section 20.037, Business & Commerce Code, is
amended by amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection
(b-1) to read as follows:
(a) On a request in writing or by telephone and with proper
identification provided by a consumer, including the consumer's
personal identification number or password provided under Section
20.034, a consumer reporting agency shall remove a security freeze
not later than the third business day after the date the agency
receives the request, if the request is in writing, or not later
than 15 minutes after the agency receives the request, if the
request is by telephone.
(b) On a request in writing or by telephone and with proper
identification provided by a consumer, including the consumer's
personal identification number or password provided under Section
20.034, a consumer reporting agency, not later than the third
business day after the date the agency receives the request, if the
request is in writing, or not later than 15 minutes after the agency
receives the request, if the request is by telephone, shall
temporarily lift the security freeze for:
(1) a certain properly designated period; or
(2) a certain properly identified requester.
(b-1) A consumer reporting agency responding to a telephone
request under Subsection (a) or (b) need not remove a security
freeze within 15 minutes if the consumer reporting agency's
ability to remove the security freeze within that time is prevented
by:
(1) an act of God, including fire, earthquake,
hurricane, storm, or similar natural disaster or phenomenon;
(2) unauthorized or illegal act by a third party,
including terrorism, sabotage, riot, vandalism, labor strike or
dispute disrupting operations, or similar occurrence;
(3) operational interruption, including electrical
failure, unanticipated delay in equipment or replacement part
delivery, computer hardware or software failure inhibiting
response time, or similar disruption;
(4) governmental action, including emergency order,
judicial or law enforcement action, or similar directives;
(5) regularly scheduled maintenance, during other
than normal business hours, of, or updates to, the consumer
reporting agency's systems;
(6) commercially reasonable maintenance of, or repair
to, the consumer reporting agency's systems that is unexpected or
unscheduled; or
(7) receipt of a removal request outside of normal
business hours.
HERE IS THE LETTER WE SENT TO THE TEXAS STATE SENATE.
Here is a letter our organization sent to the Texas Senate Conference Committee regarding SB 222.
Dear State Senator Ellis, Senator Fraser, Senator Harris, Senator Eltife, and Senator Hinojosa:
I was just informed today that the Senate failed to concur with the House on SB 222 regarding the two amendments that the House had passed.
I urge you and your fellow Senators to please concur.
Since 2003, I have personally handled over 2,000 cases for "Victims of Identity Theft" in the State of Texas.
All these victims had to wait to become "Victims of Identity Theft" before they could freeze their credit bureau files.
Last year, approximately 1.7 million Texas Veterans and all Reserve and Active Duty Military Members residing in Texas were exposed to the threat of "Identity Theft" from the VA Security Breach in Washington D.C. last May (2006).
As a veteran, I was left with no protection from the breach, but the three national credit bureaus were trying to sell me protection for a price. Everyone across the country (Texas included) was trying to make a killing selling these theft services to every Veteran they could. They were selling a service that does not work. Fraud alerts and credit monitoring is a joke.
How important is passing Senate Bill 222?
With the threat of hurricanes hitting the Texas coast line just around the corner (Remember Rita and Katrina), what kind of financial data (Both Public and Private) could be compromised from just a Category 3 hurricane?
Do you want a repeat of what happened in Cactus, Texas last December, where illegals were manufacturing stolen identities (SSN, Texas State Drivers License) so they could work at Swift & Company?
As a fellow Texan and a Vietnam Veteran, I cannot rely on the local police force to protect my "Identity" from being stolen. The cities of DFW/Arlington Metroplex (No. 4), Houston (No. 8), and San Antonio (No. 10) are three of the Top Ten worst cities in the country for "Victims of Identity Theft". This is based upon the number of victims per 100,000 population.
We cannot even count on the Federal Government to pass any Identity Theft Legislation.
I hope no other members of the Texas Legislature become "Victims of Identity Theft" like Rep. Helen Giddings of DeSoto, Tx. experienced.
So please pass this bill so the consumers of Texas can protect themselves.
I used the existing “Texas ID Theft Freeze Law” that the Texas Legislature passed several years ago, and froze my own credit bureau files here in Texas.
Last June (2006) I obtained the police report from the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department (Police Report Number)which investigated the VA Security Breach in Washington. The police report number was a requirement the Texas Legislature required in the "Freeze Law" in order to freeze your credit bureau files.
Unknown to anyone in Austin, the Governor Mansion, or the Texas Legislature, I set a nationwide precedence (24 States) by freezing my credit bureau files here in Texas. You see, all the 24 states that have existing open or "Victims Only" freeze laws, all require a police report number.
I used this requirement to give the right to 1.7 Million Texas Veterans the option "TO FREEZE OR NOT TO FREEZE" their credit bureau files.
Nationwide, it allowed us to protect over 15 million veterans and 1.2 million active duty and reserve military personnel which were directly related to the VA Security Breach in Washington.
If you would like to have more information concerning our organization, please contact our office.
By the way, we worked with your office in 2005 in getting this same law passed. The House never let it get out of committee.
Millions of Texans are counting on your office and the State Legislature to protect our consumer protection interest. Please don’t let us down again.
“Identity Theft Is No Longer Someone Else’s Problem, It is Everyone’s Problem (Our Motto).
Sincerely,
Lawrence (Larry) E. Wilson
Director
Identity Theft Victims Support Group of North America
Identity Theft Victims Support Group of North Texas
Identity Theft Victims US
www.identitytheftvictims.us
