Social Security

Privacy And Identity Protection Act Of 2000

Senator Bunning Strives To Protect The Privacy Of Americans

Senate Floor
Friday, July 14, 2000

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation that is designed to protect the privacy of all Americans from identity theft caused by theft or abuse of an individual's Social Security number (SSN). Mr. President, identity theft is the fastest growing financial crime in the nation, affecting an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 people annually. Allegations of fraudulent Social Security number use for identity theft increased from 26,531 cases in 1998 to 62,000 in 1999--this is a 233 percent increase in just one year! In May of this year, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse released a report that found of the more than 75% of identity theft crimes that took place last year, ``true name'' fraud was involved. What is ``true name'' fraud? It is when someone uses your Social Security number to open new accounts in the victim's name. That means a common criminal can apply for credit cards, buy a car, obtain personal, business, auto or real estate loans, do just about anything in your name and you may not even know about it for months or even years. Across the country there are people who can tell you about losing their life savings or having their credit history damaged, simply because someone had obtained their Social Security number and fraudulently assumed their identity. My bill prohibits the sale of Social Security numbers by the private sector, Federal, State and local government agencies. My bill strengthens existing criminal penalties for enforcement of Social Security number violations to include those by government employees. It amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to include the Social Security number as part of the information protected under the law, enhances law enforcement authority of the Office of Inspector General, and allows Federal courts to order defendants to make restitution to the Social Security Trust Funds. Mr. President, I think that it is high time that we get back to the original purpose of the Social Security number. Social Security numbers were designed to be used to track workers and their earnings so that their benefits could be accurately calculated when a worker retires--nothing else. My bill would also prohibit the display of Social Security numbers on drivers licenses, motor vehicle registration and other related identification records, like the official Senate ID Card. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this very important piece of legislation.

July 2000 Speeches

Current record