VIDEO: Sinema calls for passage of her Protecting Children from Identity Theft Act

1.3 million children have their identities stolen every year

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) highlighted the need to protect children in Arizona from the looming threat of ID fraud, made more dangerous by recent data breaches. This type of fraud occurs when a criminal uses a child’s Social Security Number to open bank or credit card accounts, with victims facing serious damage to their credit and often saddled with mountains of debt before they become adults.

“No child should ever fall victim to financial crime or identity fraud. This commonsense plan helps ensure every child in Arizona has the opportunity to build his or her own future,"said Sinema. "Every Arizonan deserves financial peace of mind, which is why we’ll keep working across the aisle to pass this commonsense bill.”

Sinema urged her colleagues to back her bill, the Protecting Children from Identity Theft Act, before a hearing of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance.

The bill would combat ID fraud targeting children by directing the Social Security Administration (SSA) to accept electronic signatures as consumer consent for financial institutions trying to verify customer ID. This will ensure that transactions not currently vetted by SSA, such as credit card applications, can be vetted quickly and accurately. The legislation passed the Senate yesterday.

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