New York mayor fights identity theft

New Yorkers should be very pleased with their Mayor – at least regarding the steps he’s taking to prevent fraud and identity theft.

According to the Yeshiva World News, almost 12,000 citizens of the Big Apple have been targeted by identity thieves last year alone, and most of them don’t know who to contact or what to do after they’ve been victimized.

Mayor Bloomberg is, in this case, a very realistic man. He knows that they will never be able to completely eliminate the threat of identity theft, but he’s certain they can take some basic steps to make it as rare as possible. He has already passed three laws regarding breach notification to the persons whose data has been stolen, to the police department and the disposal of sensitive personal information.

This new plan includes:

1) Putting up warning signs (in Internet cafes and other public spaces) about the risks of sending personal information via public computers and wireless networks

2) Promoting the use of encryption – everywhere

3) Cooperating with businesses with the goal of preventing identity theft

4) Establishing “best practices” – the Department of Consumer Affairs will be charged with developing standards and practices for personal information management for businesses

5) Providing victims of identity theft with help with the government and bureaucracy issues during the process of clearing their names.