The Fight Against Identity Theft in Missouri
I recently attended The Capitol Conference in Jefferson City, Missouri. This is an annual conference where Realtors are able to meet the Representative for our District. We are given the opportunity to talk with that person about concerns we have as citizens living in the district and as Realtors. We are there to represent our local Association of Realtors and work for the good of the public. I met with Doug Ervin who is the State Representative for Missouri's 35th District. He sends out regular e-mails regarding the legislation they are working on. Though each issue is important, I thought this was especially important to share with you as we are all susceptible to Identity Theft. See below.
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The Office of Doug Ervin State Representative for Missouri's 35th District | |
| Capitol Connection
March 6, 2008
Identity Theft On Wednesday, the Missouri House passed HB1384, giving Missourians a new weapon to help fight identity theft. We don't have to spend much time watching television or listening to the radio to see or hear one of the many commercials offering free credit reports or credit card security services designed to protect us from the threat of identity theft. While the ads are often humorous and the jingles are usually catchy, they shed light on a serious problem that is no laughing matter to the millions of Americans victimized by identity thieves each year. Innocent Missourians have been the victims of crimes ranging from someone using an existing credit card account to purchase goods to an individual opening multiple accounts using stolen personal information to someone using a stolen identity to secure a business or home loan. The methods for perpetrating identity theft are many and that is why it is important that Missourians are provided with adequate protection from these devastating and very personal crimes. Identity thieves work hard to steal information about us from online transactions, looking over one's shoulder at an ATM, to going through our trash. Our trash is a potential treasure trove information if credit card offers and various other mailings with personal information are not shredded before being discarded. It's this information that can be used to register new credit cards and endanger the financial stability of innocent, unsuspecting Missourians. The avenues of identity theft are many and that is why identity theft is so hard to combat. In 2004, the legislature passed legislation to increase the penalties for those who steal our personal information (HB916). That bill put some real teeth into our law to send the message that Missouri views identity theft as a serious crime and criminals will not get away with a simple slap on the wrist. On a federal level, President Bush created the first ever Identity Theft Task Force to protect American families from identity theft and to crack down on criminals who traffic in stolen identities. The combination of state and federal efforts has made it more difficult to engage in this illicit behavior. This year the House is taking additional steps with another piece of legislation that makes a very simple change that could mean a big difference for anyone who is victimized by identity thieves. This bill clarifies that identity theft victims have the right to contact local law enforcement to have an incident report prepared and filed. While many police departments already do this, believe or not, there are some that are not willing to take identity theft reports. This is especially important when a victim attempts to have charges removed from a credit card that were run up by an identity thief, because the victim needs a police report to substantiate the fact that they were the victim of a crime. This is a simple, commonsense change that will assist Missourians victimized by identity theft to straighten out the financial mess that can result from these types of crimes. Identity theft is a serious crime and all of us are at risk of becoming the kind of cautionary tale we see in those catchy commercials. By being smart with the way we do business and by enacting laws that give Missourians adequate protection, we can thwart the efforts of these criminals who seek to impersonate us. Feel free to forward this email to friends and family to promote an informed and active citizenry. | Be Informed! |
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Capitol Office
State Capitol Room 412-B 201 West Capitol Avenue Jefferson City, MO 65101-6806 Tele: 573.751.2238 Fax: 573.522.9320 Legislative Assistant: LaTonya Percival
District Office
P.O. Box 461 Kearney, MO 64060 Tele: 816.628.4311 Email: doug.ervin@house.mo.gov Committees Chairman: Small Business Family Services Healthcare Transformation Tourism Joint Committee on Government Accountability
The following links provide quick and easy access to your state government:
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For a Better Missouri,
Doug Ervin
State Representative
District 35, Missouri
Thanks for the timely information Doug!
Mary Richards Reece & Nichols Realtors www.kcmoves.com mary@reeceandnichols.com 816-853-9698
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