LEAHY - SPECTER INTRODUCE ID THEFT BILL

Leahy and Specter have introduced another ID theft bill.

This bill, The Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2007 would, would:

* Give ID theft victims the right to seek compensation for they time lost and expenses they incur in correcting their credit history.

* Criminalizing the act of threatening to obtain or release information from a protected computer.

* Eliminate a requirement that the loss resulting from damage to a victim's computer must exceed $5,000 for prosecution (violations resulting in less than $5,000 damage would be catergorized as misdemeanors)

* Expand federal computer fraud statutes to cover small businesses and corporations.

* Allowing for federal prosecutions of cases in which both the identify thief's computer and the victim's computer are located in the same state.

* Make it a felony to use spyware or keyloggers to damage 10 or more computers;

* Expand the definition of cybercrime to include extortion schemes that threaten to damage or access confidential information on a computer.


"Cybercriminals are getting smarter and more effective in their online efforts to strip Americans of their privacy and their property.

"Protecting American consumers from identity theft and fraud should be one of the Senate's top priorities. Cyber criminals are getting smarter and more effective in their online efforts to strip Americans of their privacy, and their property," Leahy said in a statement.

"In 2006, some 8.4 million Americans became victims to identity theft. Victims are often left with a bad credit report and must spend months and even years regaining their financial health. In the meantime, victims have difficulty getting credit, obtaining loans, renting apartments, and even getting hired," Arlen Specter said.