Saying the federal government has done “too little too late” after it announced that the private information of 26.5 million veterans had been stolen, Massachusetts veterans and legislators today called for state action to strengthen protections against the crime of identity theft.  To date, 20 states have passed laws to address the growing problem of identity theft.

“Frankly, I’m angry that more hasn’t been done by the federal government to protect our personal information,” said US Army Veteran Jeanne Cristiano of Everett. “It’s up to the state to step in and help me and my fellow veterans by giving us the tools to stop criminals from stealing our identities and running up thousands of dollars of charges without our knowledge.” 

At a State House press conference the group of veterans from around Massachusetts joined legislative sponsors of identity theft legislation and the co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, Rep. Anthony Verga and Senator Stephen Brewer, to call for passage of an identity theft bill before the end of the session that includes specific notice requirements for companies and government agencies, allows consumers to place security freezes on their credit information, and increases penalties for the crime of identity theft.   

“Every month we hear news of consumers’ personal information being stolen or compromised,” said Senator Jarrett Barrios, who is sponsoring a comprehensive identity theft bill with Representative Michael Costello and MASSPIRG.  “Identity theft is a serious crime and deserves a serious response from the Legislature.  It’s time for the state to strengthen penalties and give people the tools to protect themselves.” 

Even the legislature’s own House Chairman of the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee, Anthony Verga of Gloucester, is not immune to the VA breach. As a Navy veteran, Rep. Verga received a letter from the VA on Tuesday informing him that his data was potentially exposed. 

The information that was stolen from the VA puts veterans, active duty military men, and their families at risk for identity theft.  Over 84 million US residents have had their information compromised since February 2005.[1]  According to the Better Business Bureau, almost 9 million residents were victims of ID theft in 2005 alone and the average amount that is stolen from victims was $6,383 in 2006 up from $5,885 in 2005.  In addition, the average amount of time that it takes to resolve identity theft was at a high of 40 hours per victim in 2006 compared to 28 hours in 2005.[2] 

“Right now over twenty states have created laws to address the problem of identity theft,” said Eric Bourassa, Consumer Advocate with MASSPIRG. “Unfortunately, Massachusetts residents have few protections against identity theft unless state lawmakers pass similar safeguards.”  

The House of Representatives is currently considering a wide-ranging identity theft bill, HB 4775, released in March by the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Legislature and based on over six bills filed at the beginning of the Legislative session.  Legislators say a vote is needed on the bill, which is sitting in the House Ways and Means Committee, before the end of the legislative session in July. 

"The Veterans security breach and the delayed notification to them from the Federal Government clarifies further the need for Massachusetts to act now to quickly pass strong notification requirements and credit freeze protections for the citizens of this State," said Representative Bill Straus (D-Mattapoisett) co-chair of the Joint Subcommittee on Identity Theft of the Legislature. 

The group of legislators and veterans said any bill passed by the Legislature must, at the very least, include the following three protections: 

Breach Notification: Requires companies, government agencies and other institutions to notify consumers and law enforcement immediately of any data security breach. This allows law enforcement to respond quickly and alerts potential victims to take action, such as monitoring their credit reports. 

Credit Report Security Freeze: Allows individual consumers the ability to block access to his or her credit report through the use of a password or personal identification number. This is the only tool proven to stop identity theft in its tracks, blocking would-be thieves from getting credit in the victim's name. A security freeze does not hamper a consumer's ability to use existing credit, or seek new credit, as a consumer can temporarily remove the freeze by using their PIN. 

Increased Penalties: Makes criminals that commit identity theft face longer jail sentences and increased fines. 

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States That Have Passed Security Freeze Laws

Veterans present at the press conference:

• Jeanne Cristiano of Everett.  US Army veteran

• Dan Rizzo of Revere.  US Navy veteran

• Tim Schofield of Boston.  Gulf War veteran

• Rep. Anthony Verga of Gloucester.  US Navy veteran and House chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs.