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New York State Advances Personal Information Protections,
Commemorates Data Privacy Day
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As part of the State’s ongoing efforts to reduce data breaches, educate the public on privacy best practices and lessen the risk of identity theft, Governor David A. Paterson has declared January 28, 2010 as Data Privacy Day in New York. For this year’s commemoration, the Consumer Protection Board (CPB) is focusing on the
growing problem of medical identity theft - - what it is, what to look out for, how to avoid it, and ways to fight back. The CPB is also launching an initiative called “Exercise Your Options,” which will inform consumers about privacy options such as opting out of “pre-approved” offers, reducing telemarketing calls by signing up for the Do Not Call Registry, monitoring their credit history by obtaining free credit reports, and more.
Governor Paterson issued a proclamation declaring January 28, 2010 Data Privacy Day in New York State. Read the
CPB's Exercise Your Options to Protect Your Privacy Tool Kit: Unwanted Marketing Messages to learn what you can do to protect your
personal information.
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SCAM ALERT: BEWARE OF HAITI EARTHQUAKE SCAMS
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| The New York State Consumer Protection Board (CPB) is warning consumers to beware of scams related to the relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts following the recent earthquake in Haiti. To learn more, read the scam alerts in
English,
Spanish and
Creole, as well as the
Creole press release |
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Changes in the Security
Freeze Law to Fight Identity Theft
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The New York State Consumer Protection Board (CPB) reminds consumers about enhancements to the identity theft protection law that took effect January 1, 2010.
The new provisions are part of the final phase- in of the identity theft legislation that was proposed and signed into law by Governor David A. Paterson, and advanced by the CPB, in 2008. The law expedites the placement of a security freeze on a consumer’s credit report by a credit reporting agency to no later than one business day after receiving such request. Previously, credit reporting agencies had up to three business days from the time of a consumer’s request to freeze a report.
Learn more about Security Freeze by reading the
CPB's Security Freeze law brochure. |
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CPB Calls on Federal Regulators to Strengthen Rule Against Deceptive Marketing of Credit Reports
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| The New York State Consumer Protection Board (CPB) is urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to revise proposed amendments to the Free Annual File Disclosures Rule, also known as the Free Credit Report Rule, to better protect consumers against the deceptive marketing of credit reports. Read the
press release and the CPB’s
letter to the FTC for more information.
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Active Military Personnel and Veterans Have New Resources
To Address Identity Theft Threat
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| In commemoration of Veteran’s Day, the New York State Consumer Protection Board (CPB) joined with the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs to announce new information and resources for U.S. military personnel and veterans to help protect them from the consequences of identity theft. Read the press release and the Privacy Basic Training for Armed Forces: Responding to Identity Theft tipcard for more information.
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Consumers See First Round of Credit Reforms from CARD Act
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The first reforms of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act took effect on August 20, 2009, giving consumers more advance notice before changes in interest rates are made and assuring that card issuers mail bills at least 21 days in advance of their due date. With the implementation of these and other changes, the CPB took the opportunity to
release preliminary responses to its survey on industry practices, which revealed that some credit card issuers are changing agreements and terms prior to the realization of the full range of protections for cardholders. Read the results in the
press release.
These and other important credit card reforms were signed
into law by President Obama after Governor Paterson and the New York State
Consumer Protection Board (CPB) called for Congress to act. Read about the
key provisions of the new CARD Act of 2009, which was signed on May 22,
2009.
The CPB encourages consumers to participate in the CPB’s
Campaign for Change
by completing the Credit Card Reform Survey and/or e-mailing us their
personal stories on credit card company performance, as we continue to track
credit card company actions.
Note: We may publish the results of the survey and/or your story to help us illustrate the impact of credit card reform. However, in the interest of personal privacy, we will only use your name with your written permission and may edit your story to remove any identifiable personal or financial information. We will also delete all e-mail addresses from our records. The CPB respects and advocates for strong and reasonable information privacy policies. |
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Shred the Word
Protect Your ID for FREE with the CPB!
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The CPB’s Shred the Word
program brings together local businesses to
provide free shredding services for consumers.
The shredded materials are later recycled and
processed into paper products.
The CPB encourages the public to cross shred
documents containing personal identifiable
information as it is one of the best defenses
against identity theft and a great way to
safeguard our environment. |
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Recently, more than 12,000 lbs of paper were
shredded at the Shred the Word event in
Rochester, NY, and nearly 2.5 tons of paper were
shredded at an Albany area event. Visit the
CPB’s Shred the Word calendar periodically to
see if there is a CPB-sponsored or affiliated
event scheduled in your neighborhood. Community
partners and shredding companies interested in
hosting a free Shred the Word day should contact
the
CPB for more information. |
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The CPB is on your SYDE! Join the Stretch
Your Dollar Effort and Financial Life Skills Program
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The New York State Consumer Protection Board is offering dollar stretching tips on grocery, gas, household, seasonal, back-to-school shopping and is compiling lists of ideas and audio/video clip tips received from consumers. Visit the Stretch Your Dollar Effort Page to view compiled tips and videos, and learn more on how you can join the SYDE campaign. The CPB is also helping college students be better prepared to face their financial challenges through the development of practical life skills resources and its College Tour program.
To bolster you knowledge about transactions and to find resources that may assist you during this economic crisis, visit the CPB's Financial Life Skills web center. Other resources of importance include the myBenefits website to pre-screen for various work supports and assistance programs and the Resources for Working Families website to obtain information about various State, federal and local programs available to New York's families.
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