Patrick Leahy: “this week the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling interpreting a provision in the Fair Credit Reporting Act that will…”

“this week the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling interpreting a provision in the Fair Credit Reporting Act that will make it harder for Americans to protect their private financial data from identity theft. I rise today with the senior senator from Iowa to introduce the ``Protect Victims of Identity Theft Act'' to provide consumers in Vermont and across America with the protections that they need and deserve. I thank Senator Grassley for his leadership and look forward to working with him on this legislation. Unfortunately, identity theft victimizes thousands of Americans every year. Once a skilled scam artist gets his hands on a consumer's Social Security or bank account number, he can wreak unimaginable havoc on a family's finances. With society conducting more and more of its business electronically, the incidence of identity theft in America is on the rise. As of June of this year, the Federal Trade Commission reported that its identity theft hotline was answering over 1,800 calls per week, up from the 445 calls per week the hotline received in November 1999.”