Senate Approves Collins/Feinstein Bill to Help Stop
Sale of Fake Identification Via Internet and E-mail
November 1, 2000

Washington, DC -- The U.S. Senate last night approved bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Dianne Feinstein (D-California) which cracks down on websites that sell tools for making false identity information.

Specifically, the bill would broaden current law to prohibit individuals from knowingly producing, distributing, or offering for download from the Internet computer files or templates that are designed to make counterfeit identification documents. The bill also stipulates that supplying these products on the Internet would also be a crime. The measure now goes to the House of Representatives for approval.

“This legislation recognizes that the crime of identity theft has entered the Internet age, and that the Federal government has a responsibility to bring our identity theft laws up to speed,” Senator Feinstein said. “The primary law governing false IDs was enacted in 1982, well before the existence of websites and e-mail -- This bill helps to update our laws for the digital age.”

According to a study by the Senate Committee of Government Affairs, one web site operator reported that he sold 1,000 false IDs a month yielding $600,000 in annual sales. Today, some websites offer templates and other tools that make it easy to create false documents -- from sources such as a driver’s license or a diploma. The tools can be used to steal another person’s identity or commit financial fraud.

The bill would also direct the U.S. Attorney General and Secretary of the Treasury to establish a task force to help stop the production of false identification. This group would consist of representatives from the FBI, Secret Service and other federal agencies.