Idaho League Pushing Identity Theft Bill on Cards

BOISE, Idaho – Demonstrating the industry’s interest in fighting identity theft, the Idaho Credit Union League is introducing a bill this month restricting information printed on credit and debit receipts “to the last five digits of the account.” The bill is expected to have the backing of both the Idaho Bankers Assn. and the Idaho Retailers Association, said a League spokesman. The bill, written by Alan Cameron, president of the League and an attorney, is to be introduced when the Idaho Legislature begins its 2003 session on Jan. 6. “The problem has been with some restaurants and other retailers printing receipts which end providing a tremendous amount of information including expiration dates for criminals engaged in identity theft,” said Valerie Brooks, the League’s regulatory and government affairs specialist. The idea for the bill, which is similar to statutes in five other states, came from David Berent, president of Idahy Federal Credit Union in Boise, who was concerned over merchant receipts with complete account numbers getting into the hands of thieves. While some merchants only retain the last four digits on a receipt, others do not for various reasons including the lack of software, explained Karma Holiday, vice president of administration at the $54 million Idahy. To win support of the small “mom and pop” retailers, Brooks said the measure, as currently drafted, will contain a provision exempting transactions “in which the sole means of recording the card’s account number or expiration date is by handwriting or by an imprint or copy of the record.” The bill also contains “timelines,” said Brooks allowing “merchants time to comply with the changes.” The League maintained the measure is “valuable legislation because it is a good consumer friendly bill.”