AARP Backs Tougher Laws to Protect Ohioans from Identity Theft

Source: AARP.org | March 27, 2007

Contact Your Ohio Legislators
Find your state legislators' contact information by entering your zip code on the Ohio General Assembly Web page.

In Ohio and across the country, people remain as susceptible as ever to the schemes of identity thieves. That's why AARP Ohio is encouraging state lawmakers to thwart criminals who aim to steal residents' money and their good names.

"AARP members tell us that the prospect of identity theft makes them feel less financially secure," said Ron Bridges, the AARP Ohio associate state director who leads legislative efforts on consumer and health care issues. "They want their elected leaders to become actively involved in ensuring that our state's laws protect them from these crimes with options such as credit freezes."

Last fall, an AARP-commissioned survey found that 83 percent of voters in their mid-40s and older were likely to vote for a candidate who supports more stringent laws protecting consumers against identity theft.

AARP experts agree that the most effective laws against identity theft share these three qualities:

• Simple to use. Legislation must allow consumers to request a freeze on their credit files by using their choice of either regular mail or an electronic method. The security freeze should be available to everyone wishing to protect their personal financial information.
• Fast to activate and to remove. The best security freeze legislation borrows from the convenience of online banking and allows consumers to use a PIN code to place and lift a security freeze. This kind of convenience will allow consumers to purchase a car or apply for a credit card in a department store on the spot, instead of having to wait several days for their security freeze to be undone. A temporary 15-minute lift has been included in security freeze legislation in Utah and Delaware.
• Low in cost. We believe the best way to ensure that all Ohioans are able to utilize the security freeze is to make it free of charge.

AARP applauds legislators for sponsoring bills that could protect personal and financial information. Separate bills have been introduced by state Sen. Tom Niehaus of New Richmond, and state Reps. Jimmy Stewart of Albany, Timothy DeGeeter of Parma, and John Boccieri of New Middletown.

AARP will work actively with the bills' sponsors and other members of the legislature to ensure that an effective security freeze is enacted in Ohio and other measures are taken to protect personal information.

"A security freeze will work for Ohio consumers if, and only if, it is simple to use, fast to put in place and to remove, and low in cost," Bridges said. "Security freeze protection is already in place for residents in 26 other states."

Please let us know if you have had your identity stolen by sharing your story with us using our online form. What you tell us about your experience with ID theft helps us better understand the issues and provides information that we can share with state lawmakers, fellow consumers and consumer groups, and the media in generating additional support to provide more consumers with strong protections against identity theft.

Related Articles

• Have You Been a Victim of Identity Theft?
  If you have been a victim of identity theft, AARP encourages you to share your story to help us in our fight to pursue legislation to protect Ohioans from this crime.
• Credit and Debt
• Preventing Identity Theft

Other Resources

• Identity Theft Verification Passport Program
  Learn about the Ohio Attorney General's program to help identity theft victims.
• Divided We Fail, but together we can do anything.
  Learn more today.