Arizonans Fighting for the Right to Freeze Their Credit

Credit freezes and identity theft are at the center of a hot debate in the sunny state of Arizona, where a bill to let Arizonans block fraud attempts by freezing their credit files has been tripped up by the head of the House Rules Committee, Arizona Representative Bob Robson. Residents of 27 other states can freeze their credit files already — and given that Arizona's rate of identity theft is one of the worst in the United States, I called Robson to ask him why he's against it.

In case you're unclear on the credit freeze concept, you need to realize just how easy it is to get "instant credit" (with a reasonably healthy credit record) just by providing a few items of personal information. Sadly, it's just as easy for an identity thief who has your personal information — unless you've put a freeze on your credit file to prevent it.

Which brings us to SB 1345, a bill sponsored by Arizona State Senator Amanda Aguirre to allow all Arizona consumers to do just that. Currently, only Arizonans who have suffered identity theft or a security breach can freeze their credit files. Aguirre's bill would extend that tool to any Arizonan who wanted to use it, giving them greater control over their personal information and their credit.

Of course, if getting and using a department store credit card on the spot is a basic element of your shopping M.O., you might not want to use this tool — and there are plenty of retailers and other credit providers who don't want you to have it for exactly that reason. (Big surprise — between your security and an easy sale, they'll take the sale.) But the process isn't really all that cumbersome: basically, consumers could use a secret code to unblock credit requests, paying a "reasonable" fee each time.

Given the nightmarish alternative, I'd say the slight inconvenience and small expense are well worth the added peace of mind. Given that all 30 Arizona state senators voted for Aguirre's measure, that it sailed through the Arizona House Judiciary Committee with unanimous approval, and that 27 states already have something like it on the books, it would seem that plenty of people agree.

Is Bob Robson one of them? Not being his confessor, it's hard to know for sure. Robson began our conversation with the astonishing statement that the credit freeze bill "is a credit issue, not an identity theft issue" — though he backed away from that oxymoronic position when I pointed out that no fraud expert on Earth would agree.

When pressed, Robson also acknowledged that, in principle, credit freezes are a useful tool against identity theft, and one he can support. So what's the hangup with the Aguirre bill — as well as a similar bill by Arizona Representative Marian McClure, whose progress Robson is reportedly also impeding? Robson says he wants to nail down that "reasonable" fee, provide regulatory oversight and support for people who are victimized, and take a hard look at how this is working in those 27 other states.

In written comments to Aguirre, Robson also noted that "just as a credit freeze stops identity thieves, it can also stop consumers," adding that a credit freeze can delay transactions by several days. As it turns out, this isn't true: Aguirre's bill actually requires that a freeze be lifted within 15 minutes of notification — a provision included by Aguirre at the insistence of Arizona auto dealers.

"If this is worth doing, it's worth doing right," Robson told me. That, in his view, means addressing the issue in a comprehensive way — and, apparently, not in any particular hurry. Does he have a hidden agenda? Have business interests asked him to drag his feet? He told me no. But he also said Aguirre's bill will have to wait until next year.

For her part, Senator Aguirre told me she still plans to meet with Robson in hopes of getting the bill through sooner. "We worked hard on this bill," she said. "The people of Arizona need it, and they should have it now. Let's move it. Let's get it done this year. We can't afford to wait."

Aguirre was nonplussed (as I had been) by Robson's notion that her bill must be comprehensive to be ready for prime time. "Giving the people of Arizona the ability to freeze their credit files if they so choose is just one safeguard among many, but it's an essential safeguard. We're not going to solve identity theft with a single bill. Creating a bill like that would be an endless job."

Aguirre also feels a special urgency, given the aggravated identity theft risk that Arizonans face. "On Monday, when President Bush was in Yuma, I spoke with Ralph Basham, the Commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, about this very issue. There is a relationship between identity theft and illegal immigration." In fact, the traffic in illegal immigrants is arguably one reason the  Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metropolitan area — which includes Representative Robson's constituents in Chandler — has the worst identity theft numbers of any in the U.S.

Let me be honest: I don't expect Representative Robson (or anyone else in the Arizona legislature) to deliver a comprehensive solution to identity theft, this year or next, any more than I expect to drive a hydrogen fuel cell car to Chandler, Arizona to congratulate Robson and company for doing it. In my view, this problem is so huge and so immediate that we'd be idiots — or, at the very least, disingenuous — to make consumers wait for a "perfect" solution in lieu of giving them imperfect but practical help in the here-and-now. Those with the power to do something should do it, and do it without delay. In my possibly skewed opinion, anything less is an ethical lapse and a breach of the public trust.

Call me biased if you like (Robson has already flung that tag at straight-shooting journalist Howard Fischer, whose excellent reporting first alerted me to this story), but I think Arizonans deserve whatever weapons we can give them — including credit freezes — to help them fight off identity thieves. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below. While you're at it, let Representative Robson know, too: brobson@azleg.gov or 602.926.5549. You can express your thoughts to Senator Aguirre at aaguirre@azleg.gov or 602.926.4139.

Comments

[Michael Guzzo]

Thank you so much for this insightful post! I'm going to link it from my blog to spread the word.

I think about this topic often, and just cannot understand how some Arizona legislators can sell out their constituents on such an important issue.

I'll email Senator Aguirre and offer my support.

[Bill Lee]

Why, when Az has the highest Identity Theft in the country, didn't our lawmakers get us on board with this first? What, are they afraid the meth freaks won't vote for them? Or maybe its the illegal voters. What is up with these idiots?

[Matt Smithson]

My state of AZ is the Identity Theft capital of America, and it seems that only Bob Robson is standing in the way of a credit protection program that is entirely VOLUNTARY! I cannot fathom why he would do this.

[Rollo Tomasi]

I'll say pretty much what Matt said. I live in the ID Theft capital of the world, too, and I am outraged that Robson is preventing people from VOLUNTARILY protecting themselves (and only themselves, at their choice) from fraud and crime.

[Steve]

Great blog! People should be able to control their own credit issues. I wonder what Rep Robson's hidden agenda is?