Rell signs Social Security bill in Bristol

Press release from Gov. Jodi Rell's office:

Governor Rell Signs Bill to Safeguard Personal Data, Reduce Risk of Identity Theft

Governor M. Jodi Rell today signed into law legislation to help safeguard personal information such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and insurance, bank and credit card account numbers.

“Identity theft has become one of the most frightening non-violent crimes of the 21st century and has become all too common,” Governor Rell said. “This is especially true for folks like our senior citizens, many of whom are accustomed to giving their Social Security number as part of their personal identification. There was a time when Social Security numbers were everywhere – used on insurance cards and other important documents; often they were even printed on our checks. Now Social Security numbers – and all similar information – must be safeguarded much more carefully.


“In our fast-paced world, it takes only moments for someone to steal an identity and commit significant, long-lasting damage to a credit record,” the Governor said. “This bill protects not just Social Security numbers, but any personal information. The law requires anyone possessing such information to safeguard it, along with the computer files and documents containing it, and specifically mandates that businesses that collect Social Security numbers develop a privacy protection policy. Those who violate the law will be subject to civil penalties of $500, up to a maximum of $500,000 per instance.”

Governor Rell signed the bill at the Bristol Senior center, highlighting the importance of protecting senior citizens from the threat of identity theft.

“This bill is an important step in our continuing effort to safeguard Connecticut residents and I am pleased to sign it into law,” the Governor said.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Blumenthal backs Nicastro's Social Security number protection measure

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's testimony before the General Law Committee, Tuesday, March 4, 2008:

I appreciate the opportunity to support House Bill 5658, An Act Concerning the Confidentiality of Social Security Numbers.
The proposal prohibits retailers and other businesses from requiring customers to disclose their Social Security numbers as a condition of any sale or purchase of a good or service.
Social Security numbers often are the gateway for identity theft. Federal law restricts government agency requests for such information but does not regulate how businesses require or use social security numbers. Yet, the likelihood of identity theft from Social Security numbers is just as great when such information is in the possession of private businesses as they are in the possession of governmental agencies.
Over the past two years it has become unfortunately all too common for a business data base to be compromised by hackers or identity thieves. In a number of these situations, consumers' Social Security numbers were part of the stolen information, causing significant financial problems for these consumers.
Often, Social Security information is unnecessary in order for the business to transact a sale or lease with a consumer. Yet, the businesses request the information and it becomes part of the data base of the business.
Five years ago, the General Assembly had the wisdom to restrict public display of Social Security numbers or use of such information as membership identification numbers. The proposal in this legislation simply extends that identity theft initiative to prohibit businesses from demanding Social Security numbers in return for the purchase or lease of goods or services. The committee may wish to provide an exception for legitimate business purposes such as extension of credit, where a Social Security number may be required to assure access to credit reports.
I urge the committee's favorable consideration of House Bill 5658.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Hearing Tuesday on Nicastro's Social Security number protection bill

There's a public hearing slated for 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford that includes among its subjects the Social Security number protection bill championed by state Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat.
If people want to testify, they should "most certainly" come to the hearing in Room 1C, Nicastro said.
Nicastro said other measures are also on the agenda so his bill is not the only topic of discussion. But if anyone wants to speak on it, they can sign up at the hearing and they'll get a shot (fair warning: it can take awhile).

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Giving seniors the bird

Don't miss this story by reporter Jackie Majerus:

The Foodshare turkey distribution at the Bristol Housing Authority got all fowled up this Thanksgiving.
Because they wouldn’t give out their Social Security numbers when signing up for a free turkey, some seniors were shut out of a holiday bird this year.
Instead of getting a turkey as most of them do every year, the seniors instead got a letter from the housing authority saying that since they were “already signed up for a free turkey with the Christian Fellowship Center,” they were not eligible for a turkey through the housing authority.
But the trouble is, the seniors aren’t clients at the Christian Fellowship Center.
“I never signed up at the church on Prospect Street,” said Helen Senical, a Bonnie Acres tenant. “How did my name get up there at that church?”
“We never signed up over there,” said Penny Kalentkowski. “Something’s wrong somewhere. This has never happened before.”
The seniors said they and friends who got the letter are upset and embarrassed at the idea that they’d take charity from the food pantry.
“That’s for families that can’t afford Thanksgiving, not for people like us,” said Senical, who worked at the Bristol Community Organization before she retired. She said she often took clients to the Prospect Street food pantry for help.
“There are families and people up there who need it a lot more than I do,” said Senical. “It’s a little embarrassing.”
Dorothy Ludlum, another Bonnie Acres tenant who was directed to the food pantry through the housing authority letter, said she was really upset about it.
“I was insulted. I thought, Gee, what do they think – I’m trying to steal two turkeys?” said Ludlum.
What happened, according to officials at Foodshare, the housing authority and at Christian Fellowship Center, was that the tenants didn’t put their Social Security numbers on their application for a free turkey.
The housing authority’s Beatrice Nieves, who penned the letter to tenants, said more than 50 households – almost 20 percent of the total number of applications – left off the Social Security number. The housing authority filled in 000-00-0000 on each application that was missing a number, Nieves said.
The turkeys distributed by both the housing authority and the food pantry come through Foodshare.
Foodshare President Gloria McAdam said the agency distributes about 14,600 turkeys at Thanksgiving and has a system to ensure that there isn’t any duplication.
“Our goal is one turkey per household,” said George Lombardo, community program coordinator at Foodshare.
For about the last 10 years, McAdam said, Foodshare hasn’t given out turkeys unless there is a Social Security number on the application.
“We don’t accept anybody that doesn’t give their number,” said McAdam.
Apparently one application that came to Foodshare from the Christian Fellowship Center before the ones from the housing authority arrived, had 000-00-0000 in place of the Social Security number.
That false Social Security number from the food pantry was apparently accepted, but then Foodshare’s computerized system rejected the ones from the housing authority that came after it, deeming them duplicates.
After Foodshare rejected the tenants’ names, Nieves sent them a letter informing them that they were “already signed up” at the Christian Fellowship Center.
The food pantry “has you on their pick up list,” Nieves wrote, adding that tenants could get their turkeys on Prospect Street this morning. She told tenants to direct any questions to the food pantry.
Meanwhile, the food pantry knew nothing about the tenants.
“We didn’t know why people were being referred here,” said Michelle Palmer, promotional director at the Christian Fellowship Center.
Palmer said there appear to be a lot of people who put zeros down on their application.
Nieves said the housing authority was able to come up with turkeys for a number of the tenants who were rejected by Foodshare. The rest, which she said numbered a dozen at Bonnie Acres and a few elsewhere, could get them from the food pantry, Nieves said.
“In essence, everybody’s covered,” said Nieves.
Not so, said some of the Bonnie Acres tenants who were still without a turkey late Tuesday.
Though both Kalentkowski and Senical said they received leftover turkeys from the housing authority when that agency’s distribution ended Saturday, Ludlum and her friend Judy MacDougall weren’t so lucky.
They said they were told they’d get a confirmation letter in the mail to take to the Prospect Street food pantry today that would get them a turkey, but no letter had arrived by Tuesday.
“I’ve never even been up there,” said MacDougall.
Palmer said they expect to have long lines of people standing for hours outside the Prospect Street pantry today, waiting for food.
MacDougall, who has mobility issues and can’t stand a long time, and Ludlum, who is legally blind and cannot drive, won’t be there in line. Both said they’d received turkeys from the housing authority in the past and this year didn’t put down their Social Security numbers.
Oddly, Kalentkowski’s application did include her Social Security number, she said.
“I’m quite sure I did,” said Kalentkowski. “I always do.”
But she got the same letter as Senical and the others, saying she was on the list for the Christian Fellowship Center.
After getting the letter Friday, Senical said, she repeatedly called the food pantry, but never got an answer.
On Tuesday, Senical went to the Prospect Street pantry and asked them to take her name off their list.
Robert Wilk, director of the food pantry, showed Senical that her name wasn’t on the client list.
“If you didn’t put your Social Security number down, what happens is you don’t get a turkey,” said Wilk.
If she has to surrender her Social Security number, Senical said, then Foodshare can keep the turkey. According to Senical, it’s not worth the risk or the hassle.
“This is the last year I’ll ever accept a turkey from housing,” said Senical.

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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com