Sponsored by:
Senator JON M. BRAMNICK
District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits soliciting or phishing for personal identifying information.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the solicitation of personal identifying information and supplementing chapter 21 of Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. A person is guilty of a disorderly persons offense if the person solicits, requests, or takes any action to induce another person to provide any personal identifying information, as defined in N.J.S.2C:20-1, for the purpose of obtaining a benefit for himself or another or to injure or defraud another.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month next following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill would prohibit a practice commonly referred to as "phishing." Under the bill, it would be a disorderly persons offense to solicit, request, or take any action to induce another person to provide personal identifying information for the purpose of identity theft.
The bill uses the definition of "personal identifying information" currently used in the law pertaining to theft, including identity theft. This definition includes "any name, number or other information that may be used, alone or in conjunction with any other information, to identify a specific individual and includes, but is not limited to, the name, address, telephone number, date of birth, social security number, official State issued identification number, employer or taxpayer number, place of employment, employee identification number, demand deposit account number, savings account number, credit card number, mother's maiden name, unique biometric data, such as fingerprint, voice print, retina or iris image or other unique physical representation, or unique electronic identification number, address or routing code of the individual."
A disorderly persons offense is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.