Assemblyman Leland Yee: Identity Theft - the Fight Starts Locally

Some of you may have seen me strolling along Geary Boulevard on the afternoon of Oct. 15. And perhaps you've noticed brochures about identity theft cropping up on the counters of our local businesses. I feel it is time to call attention to one of the major concerns currently facing each of us as consumers. Identity theft claims an estimated 500,000 victims per year and the effects can be devastating.

Last month, I joined David Heller of the Greater Geary Boulevard Merchants and Property Owners Association along with Deputy Sheriff J.C. Gray to tour small businesses in the Richmond District and hand out information on identity theft. During times of economic uncertainty in our city, state and nation, it is important that we as a community support the small businesses that comprise the foundation for our local economy. Small businesses not only guarantee that locally spent dollars remain within the community, they also guarantee stable jobs and dependable services tailored to the individual needs of the community. This is why I am working to promote the growth and sustainability of small business in San Francisco.

I regularly meet with local business owners and witness the good work they are doing firsthand with my 12th Assembly District "merchant walks." I use this opportunity to get out into the community, listen to concerns and share ideas for improving the state of small business in California. The experience better enables me to approach the issues facing our local merchants from a policy standpoint in the future.

A growing concern among small business owners is the increasing prevalence of identity theft - the fraudulent use of someone's personal information. In our society, we rarely think twice about giving our credit card number over the phone, over the Internet or in person. In San Francisco, where renters comprise a majority of the population, it is not uncommon for landlords to obtain credit reports from prospective tenants. Many government agencies rely on Social Security numbers to identify those they provide services to.

We don't think about it, but every time we swipe a credit card or give out our Social Security or driver's license number, we are placing ourselves in the hands of someone with unlimited access to our personal and financial information. We can only hope that this information does not fall into the wrong hands. Someone who fraudulently obtains our personal information can use it to make purchases with our credit cards, access our checking accounts, or create a criminal record under our names. On average, it can take victims of identity theft 16 months to clear their records and sometimes the damages are permanent.

The California State Legislature has been working to address the issue. Recent legislation by Sen. Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach) will mandate that California businesses take important measures to guard against identity theft. When a business owner sees that a credit report contains an alert or something out of the ordinary, they will now be required to contact the person whose credit they're checking. This is a step many small business owners say they don't mind taking, as they rely on their customers to be in good standing. When doing business with a large corporation, customers are now less likely to become faceless names or numbers that often become lost in transactions.

I have also joined in the fight against identity theft by authoring a bill, AB 1387, which would help protect legislative employees and others by reducing the use of Social Security numbers as the primary identification by the state legislature. This has become a two-year bill and will be taken up again in the next legislative session.

I am proud of the measures we are taking in the legislature to curb identity theft, but there are also personal measures you may take to ensure you do not become a victim:

· Order your credit report once a year to determine if there is any incorrect information;

· Check your bank statement promptly when it arrives to ensure all transactions are correct;

· Be aware of your mail - if you are missing any mail it is possible that someone may be stealing it.

· Destroy mail or paperwork containing personal identifying information - tear or shred charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, credit card offers, bank statements, etc.

· Finally, get to know your local merchants. Talk to them about identity theft and how you can work together to prevent it. Identity theft claims individual victims, but it can impact entire communities.

Assemblyman Leland Y. Yee, Ph.D., is the Assembly's assistant speaker pro tempore.