December 11, 2006

Senate Passes Bill To Criminalize Pretexting

The Senate passed legislation last night that would make it a federal crime to obtain a person’s telephone records without permission, an act known as pretexting. The measure, which was approved by unanimous consent last night and is similar to a bill passed earlier in the House, imposes a fine of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to 10 years for duping telephone companies into divulging the calling records of private individuals. The penalties can go up under special circumstances, like cases involving domestic abuse.

Senate Passes Bill to Criminalize Pretexting, New York Times, December 9, 2006.