At a press conference at the State Capitol today, Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker unveiled his new legislative initiative aimed at putting an end to consumer rip-offs and fraud. The “Personal Financial Security Act” being proposed by Baker is specifically designed to protect personal identification numbers so that thieves cannot use those numbers to get at consumers’ money. Under the act, the Attorney General is authorized to prosecute criminals who use credit card, social security, bank account or other personal identification numbers to steal people’s money. “In this day and time, we as consumers are known more by numbers– credit card numbers, social security numbers, drivers’ license numbers and other personal identification numbers -- than by our names, and thieves are accessing this information to steal our hard earned dollars,” says Baker.

According to Baker, “This is the information age, but all this new technology comes with a price. Today, just about anyone with a computer can ride the information superhighway right into our pocketbooks and take hard-working Georgians for everything they’ve scrimped and saved a lifetime for.”

Baker’s Personal Financial Security Act is designed to let would-be rip off artists know that there will be a price to be paid if they use personal identification numbers to steal from citizens of this state. “If you rip off consumers in Georgia,” says Baker, “you better be prepared to do time.” If adopted by the General Assembly, the new crime would be a felony under Georgia law.