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The below information was provided to the KMCA by Senator Mike Lenett.

Identity theft is a serious and growing problem in the U.S. The havoc it can wreak on a person’s bank and credit accounts and credit reports, the hassle and time it can take to rectify the situation, and the loss of money it can cause are substantial. I’m sure you’ve heard about the thefts and losses of private, personal information at companies, government agencies, and universities over the past several years. Having your contact information, family information, account data, health status, or social security number fall into the hands of unscrupulous individuals can be a nightmare.

I wanted to let you know about a very important piece of consumer protection legislation we passed this year, which will go into effect on January 1, 2008, that will allow you to take a preemptive step to secure your personal and financial information. This “security freeze” bill was a top priority of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, with which I worked on this and other consumer protection legislation. The new law will allow consumers to “freeze,” or restrict, access by others to their individual credit reports. While a freeze is in place, a consumer’s credit report (and any information contained in it) may not be disclosed to third parties without the consumer’s prior authorization. Finally, consumers will have control over the release of their own credit reports!

Here’s how it works. Once the new law takes effect, you can notify the credit reporting agencies that you would like to place a security freeze on your credit reports. This can be done by certified mail, email, or online (under certain circumstances). Here is the contact information for the three credit reporting agencies:

When the credit reporting agency receives your request, it must take the following steps:
1. Verify your identity.
2. Freeze your report within five business days after receiving your request.
3. Send you a written confirmation of the freeze.
4. Provide you with a unique personal identification number or password you can use whenever you want to authorize the release of your report to someone.
5. Provide you with a written statement of the procedures for requesting the removal of the freeze or a temporary lift of the freeze.

A credit reporting agency may charge up to $5 for placing a security freeze, temporarily lifting one, or removing one. However, no fee may be charged if a police report is presented that states that the consumer is a victim of identify theft.

As a consumer protection attorney as well as your Senator, I am pleased we were able to take these steps to help Marylanders protect their personal information. In private practice, I’ve seen the devastating effects of the misuse of personal information. I successfully prosecuted the largest known consumer privacy case in American history against the country’s leading direct mail services company to stop it from using prisoners in Texas to process consumer information.  The practice had caused all kinds of mischief – one woman in Ohio suddenly had a rapist pen pal and there was evidence of a black market among the prisoners in the sale of personal information and of credit card and car theft rings by the prisoners’ associates on the outside.

I hope you find this information useful. Credit reports contain very sensitive personal information that, in the wrong hands, can be used for identity theft. The security freeze law will give you an important new way to protect yourself.

(c) Copyright 2008, Kemp Mill Civic Association.  All rights reserved