Senator Margett Tackles Identity Theft

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 21, 2008
Contact: Sean Adams @ (916) 651-4029

SACRAMENTO– In a measure designed to curb the number of identity theft cases, Senator Bob Margett (R-Glendora) introduced Senate Bill 1398. This measure will require a person requesting a certified copy of a birth or death certificate to show a driver’s license or other government issued identification.

Under current law, there is no requirement for a county clerk to check for proof of identity when someone requests a copy of a birth or death certificate. This means almost anyone can access a copy of someone else’s birth certificate by posing as that person.

“Identity theft is one of the fastest growing and most personally devastating crimes in California,” said Senator Margett. “By giving criminals almost exclusive access to our most basic personal information, we are only inviting the potential for more fraud and more heartache.”

In many cases of identity theft, a victim’s losses include not only out-of-pocket financial costs, but also financial expenses associated with trying to restore reputation and standing in the community. Additionally, hundreds of hours can be spent just trying to restore your identity and correcting erroneous information for which the criminal is responsible.

Increasingly, children are becoming the popular targets of identity thieves. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, 500,000 children had their identities stolen in 2005. Identity thieves like to target children because their information is often readily available and useful for many years. Children often don’t discover their identities have been stolen until they grow up and begin trying to get jobs, apply for credit-cards, or take out car and student loans.

“Every care should be taken to ensure identity thieves are impeded in their efforts to steal a child’s identity,” stated Senator Margett. “SB 1398 is a step in that direction.”

SB 1398 is expected to be referred to the Senate Committee on Health.

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