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Bill mandates consumers notification

March 1, 2005
By: Aidian Holder
State Capital Bureau

More than 15-Hundred Missourians are at risk of having their identities stolen, but if it wasn't for a California law, they wouldn't even know about it.

Now some Missouri lawmakers want to make sure that if it happens again, you won't have to rely on the California legislature to protect your identity.

Aidian (uh-dee-an) Holder is in Jefferson City with that story.

Story:
RunTime:
OutCue: SOC

More than 15-Hundred Missourians had their personal information stolen when a nationwide identity theft ring suckered ChoicePoint financial services into giving up hundreds of thousands of consumer records.

But only California had a law requiring the company to tell people that it had given their private information to crooks.

Missouri would have a similar law if a bill sponsored by St. Louis Democrat Pat Doughtery passes.

He says the stakes are high.

Actuality:douid1
RunTime: 12
OutCue: I said billion


Contents: "I think it's important to understand what's going on here. ChoicePoint holds some 19 billion pieces of information about citizens of the United States. I didn't say million. I said billion."

ChoicePoint says it has already mailed notices to every person whose information was stolen.

Many experts say the best defense against identity theft is looking at your credit report regularly, and starting today your entitled to one free report each year from each of the three major credit reporting companies.

From the state capitol, I'm Aidian Holder

Missouri Democrats