Release date: 2/11/2019
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to keep its current Identity Theft Rules in place to protect people’s information. The current rules require certain financial institutions and businesses that grant credit or issue debit or credit cards to take steps and implement safeguards to detect, prevent, and mitigate identify theft.
“In 2018, more than 1.9 million North Carolinians were affected by data breaches, putting them at risk of identity theft,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “We must do everything we can to protect people’s personal and financial data, and that includes keeping the FTC’s current protections for identity theft in place.”
In response to the FTC’s request for comment on the existing rules, Attorney General Stein and 30 other attorneys general filed a letter arguing a continued need for the rules. The attorneys general also recommended updates to the existing rules, including notifying cardholders if their email address or cell phone number are changed and tracking unsuccessful access attempts and access by new or unfamiliar devices as suspicious account activity.
The federal identity theft rules complement North Carolina’s own data security laws. In January, Attorney General Stein and Rep. Jason Saine introduced the Act to the Strengthen Identity Theft Protections to ensure stronger protections for North Carolinians’ personal information.
Attorney General Stein was joined in sending today’s letter by the Attorneys General of Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
A copy of the letter can be found here.
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