Let’s Lose Identity Theft 
SafeCity Leads Legislation To Deter Identity Theft

The tragic consequences of identity theft hit home last year when ninety-nine year old retired school teacher, Irene Breland, died after she was attacked and robbed of her purse outside her home.  Within hours of the robbery, Breland’s credit cards were used.  It is not known if her assailant used them or if her cards were sold to another criminal, who then used them. 

“Any time a violent crime such as a burglary or purse snatching occurs where financial information is stolen, more often than not that information is sold on the street or traded for narcotics,” states John Neal, Ridgeland Police Department Lieutenant over Criminal Investigations.  It is not unusual for a credit card to be used immediately after a burglary to fill up gas tanks for pennies on the dollar in exchange for cash, according to Neal. 

SafeCity’s Identity Theft bill, now making its way through the Mississippi legislature, would add five years to Forgery, Credit Card Fraud, and False Pretense sentences when the check or credit card used was obtained in a violent crime or burglary.  

According to Hinds County Sheriff’s Office Investigator, Rebecca Pittman, "This law will alter the calculation criminals make when they are tempted to misuse stolen checks or credit cards -- and in the process create a significant deterrent to Identity Theft.  This proposed sentencing enhancement gives prosecutors a powerful weapon with which to fight these crimes,” added Pittman, who is also a member of the Metro ID Theft Task Force.  “More importantly, it will save lives.” 

The Federal Trade Commission reports that Mississippi experienced a 37.8% increase in reported incidences of identity theft since 2003, rising from 37.6 victims per 100,000 population in 2003 to 51.3 victims per 100,000 population in 2006.*  The city of Jackson historically leads in the number of identity theft victims in Mississippi.

  

*  2007 data was not available at publication date.