S-4600

AN ACT Relating to identity theft; amending RCW 19.16.250; adding a new section to chapter 9.35 RCW; creating a new section; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that the incidence of identity theft is rapidly growing, and that victims of identity theft need further assistance in obtaining the information necessary to the prosecution of their cases. The legislature finds that requiring additional information sharing by merchants with victims will result in greater protections for consumers and deter potential perpetrators.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 9.35 RCW to read as follows:

(1) As used in this section, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(a) "Victim of identity theft" or "victim" means a person who has had his or her means of identification taken or personal information or sensitive information used without authorization when the person's means of identification or personal information or sensitive information has been used with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, an unlawful activity harming or intending to harm the person whose identity is used, or for committing a felony;

(b) "Personal information" means information that is provided by the consumer in a commercial context, and is identifiable to the individual consumer, that concerns the amount or condition of the consumer's assets, liabilities, financial transactions, purchasing history, buying preferences, business relationships, account existence, customer status, demographic information, name, address, telephone number, or electronic mail address;

(c) "Sensitive information" means information maintained in a commercial context that is held for the purpose of transaction initiation, account access or identity verification, or that reflects current or historical balances or purchase amounts, and includes account numbers, access codes or passwords, tax identification numbers, driver's license or permit numbers, state identicard numbers issued by the department of licensing, and credit card numbers or expiration dates.

(2) A person, information repository, corporation, trust, partnership, or unincorporated association possessing information relating to an actual or potential violation of this chapter, and who may have entered into a transaction, provided credit, products, or services, accepted payment, or otherwise done business with a person who has used the victim's means of identification, must, upon request of the victim, provide copies of all information relevant to the potential or actual violation of this chapter.

(3) In providing the information required under subsection (2) of this section, the provider may require the victim of identity theft to provide a copy of a police report evidencing the victim's claim. The provider may also seek reasonable compensation for the actual cost of providing the information requested, and may also require the victim to provide positive identification before providing the information.

(4) No person, information repository, corporation, trust, partnership, or unincorporated association may be held liable for an action voluntarily taken in good faith to provide information regarding potential or actual violations of this chapter to other information repositories, merchants, law enforcement authorities, or to the victim of identity theft, for the purpose of identification and prosecution of violators of this chapter.

Sec. 3. RCW 19.16.250 and 1983 c 107 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

No licensee or employee of a licensee shall:

(1) Directly or indirectly aid or abet any unlicensed person to engage in business as a collection agency in this state or receive compensation from such unlicensed person: PROVIDED, That nothing in this chapter shall prevent a licensee from accepting, as forwardee, claims for collection from a collection agency or attorney whose place of business is outside the state.

(2) Collect or attempt to collect a claim by the use of any means contrary to the postal laws and regulations of the United States postal department.

(3) Publish or post or cause to be published or posted, any list of debtors commonly known as "bad debt lists" or threaten to do so. For purposes of this chapter, a "bad debt list" means any list of natural persons alleged to fail to honor their lawful debts. However, nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit a licensee from communicating to its customers or clients by means of a coded list, the existence of a check dishonored because of insufficient funds, not sufficient funds or closed account by the financial institution servicing the debtor's checking account: PROVIDED, That the debtor's identity is not readily apparent: PROVIDED FURTHER, That the licensee complies with the requirements of subsection (9)(e) of this section.

(4) Have in his possession or make use of any badge, use a uniform of any law enforcement agency or any simulation thereof, or make any statements which might be construed as indicating an official connection with any federal, state, county, or city law enforcement agency, or any other governmental agency, while engaged in collection agency business.

(5) Perform any act or acts, either directly or indirectly, constituting the practice of law.

(6) Advertise for sale or threaten to advertise for sale any claim as a means of endeavoring to enforce payment thereof or agreeing to do so for the purpose of soliciting claims, except where the licensee has acquired claims as an assignee for the benefit of creditors or where the licensee is acting under court order.

(7) Use any name while engaged in the making of a demand for any claim other than the name set forth on his or its current license issued hereunder.

(8) Give or send to any debtor or cause to be given or sent to any debtor, any notice, letter, message, or form which represents or implies that a claim exists unless it shall indicate in clear and legible type:

(a) The name of the licensee and the city, street, and number at which he is licensed to do business;

(b) The name of the original creditor to whom the debtor owed the claim if such name is known to the licensee or employee: PROVIDED, That upon written request of the debtor, the licensee shall make a reasonable effort to obtain the name of such person and provide this name to the debtor;

(c) If the notice, letter, message, or form is the first notice to the debtor or if the licensee is attempting to collect a different amount than indicated in his or its first notice to the debtor, an itemization of the claim asserted must be made including:

(i) Amount owing on the original obligation at the time it was received by the licensee for collection or by assignment;

(ii) Interest or service charge, collection costs, or late payment charges, if any, added to the original obligation by the original creditor, customer or assignor before it was received by the licensee for collection, if such information is known by the licensee or employee: PROVIDED, That upon written request of the debtor, the licensee shall make a reasonable effort to obtain information on such items and provide this information to the debtor;

(iii) Interest or service charge, if any, added by the licensee or customer or assignor after the obligation was received by the licensee for collection;

(iv) Collection costs, if any, that the licensee is attempting to collect;

(v) Attorneys' fees, if any, that the licensee is attempting to collect on his or its behalf or on the behalf of a customer or assignor;

(vi) Any other charge or fee that the licensee is attempting to collect on his or its own behalf or on the behalf of a customer or assignor.

(9) Communicate or threaten to communicate, the existence of a claim to a person other than one who might be reasonably expected to be liable on the claim in any manner other than through proper legal action, process, or proceedings except under the following conditions:

(a) A licensee or employee of a licensee may inform a credit reporting bureau of the existence of a claim: PROVIDED, That if the licensee or employee of a licensee reports a claim to a credit reporting bureau, the licensee shall upon receipt of written notice from the debtor that any part of the claim is disputed, forward a copy of such written notice to the credit reporting bureau;

(b) A licensee or employee in collecting or attempting to collect a claim may communicate the existence of a claim to a debtor's employer if the claim has been reduced to a judgment;

(c) A licensee or employee in collecting or attempting to collect a claim that has not been reduced to judgment, may communicate the existence of a claim to a debtor's employer if:

(i) The licensee or employee has notified or attempted to notify the debtor in writing at his last known address or place of employment concerning the claim and the debtor after a reasonable time has failed to pay the claim or has failed to agree to make payments on the claim in a manner acceptable to the licensee, and

(ii) The debtor has not in writing to the licensee disputed any part of the claim: PROVIDED, That the licensee or employee may only communicate the existence of a claim which has not been reduced to judgment to the debtor's employer once unless the debtor's employer has agreed to additional communications.

(d) A licensee may for the purpose of locating the debtor or locating assets of the debtor communicate the existence of a claim to any person who might reasonably be expected to have knowledge of the whereabouts of a debtor or the location of assets of the debtor if the claim is reduced to judgment, or if not reduced to judgment, when:

(i) The licensee or employee has notified or attempted to notify the debtor in writing at his last known address or last known place of employment concerning the claim and the debtor after a reasonable time has failed to pay the claim or has failed to agree to make payments on the claim in a manner acceptable to the licensee, and

(ii) The debtor has not in writing disputed any part of the claim.

(e) A licensee may communicate the existence of a claim to its customers or clients if the claim is reduced to judgment, or if not reduced to judgment, when:

(i) The licensee has notified or attempted to notify the debtor in writing at his last known address or last known place of employment concerning the claim and the debtor after a reasonable time has failed to pay the claim or has failed to agree to make payments on the claim in a manner acceptable to the licensee, and

(ii) The debtor has not in writing disputed any part of the claim.

(10) Threaten the debtor with impairment of his credit rating if a claim is not paid.

(11) Communicate with the debtor after notification in writing from an attorney representing such debtor that all further communications relative to a claim should be addressed to the attorney: PROVIDED, That if a licensee requests in writing information from an attorney regarding such claim and the attorney does not respond within a reasonable time, the licensee may communicate directly with the debtor until he or it again receives notification in writing that an attorney is representing the debtor.

(12) Communicate with a debtor or anyone else in such a manner as to harass, intimidate, threaten, or embarrass a debtor, including but not limited to communication at an unreasonable hour, with unreasonable frequency, by threats of force or violence, by threats of criminal prosecution, and by use of offensive language. A communication shall be presumed to have been made for the purposes of harassment if:

(a) It is made with a debtor or spouse in any form, manner, or place, more than three times in a single week;

(b) It is made with a debtor at his or her place of employment more than one time in a single week;

(13) Communicate with the debtor through use of forms or instruments that simulate the form or appearance of judicial process, the form or appearance of government documents, or the simulation of a form or appearance of a telegraphic or emergency message.

(14) Communicate with the debtor and represent or imply that the existing obligation of the debtor may be or has been increased by the addition of attorney fees, investigation fees, service fees, or any other fees or charges when in fact such fees or charges may not legally be added to the existing obligation of such debtor.

(15) Threaten to take any action against the debtor which the licensee cannot legally take at the time the threat is made.

(16) Send any telegram or make any telephone calls to a debtor or concerning a debt or for the purpose of demanding payment of a claim or seeking information about a debtor, for which the charges are payable by the addressee or by the person to whom the call is made.

(17) In any manner convey the impression that the licensee is vouched for, bonded to or by, or is an instrumentality of the state of Washington or any agency or department thereof.

(18) Collect or attempt to collect in addition to the principal amount of a claim any sum other than allowable interest, collection costs or handling fees expressly authorized by statute, and, in the case of suit, attorney's fees and taxable court costs.

(19) Procure from a debtor or collect or attempt to collect on any written note, contract, stipulation, promise or acknowledgment under which a debtor may be required to pay any sum other than principal, allowable interest, and, in the case of suit, attorney's fees and taxable court costs.

(20) Upon notification by a victim of identity theft that a police report has been filed regarding the identity theft, and upon receipt of a copy of the report indicating that the victim's checkbook or other series of preprinted written instruments has been stolen, fail to accept one single writing from the victim that identifies the numbers of the checks, the bank, and account number and that disputes creditors' claims for the identified checks or written instruments. If more than one collection agency is attempting collection on individual checks or written instruments that are part of the series, each collection agency may request a single writing from the victim that disputes creditors' claims for the entire checkbook or series. Once a single writing has been received, the collection agency must not require additional proof, explanation, or evidence except in a court of law from the victim disputing creditors' claims regarding the checks or other written instruments in the same series or lot and must consider the single writing as a dispute to all creditors' claims arising from use of the checkbook or other series of instruments. Once a single writing has been received, the collection agency may not forward consumer reports to any consumer reporting agency regarding collection activity or claims relating to the use of the checkbook or other series of instruments. The terms "consumer report" and "consumer reporting agency" have the same meaning as provided in the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 1681a.