Rhode Island Strengthens Identity Fraud And Digital Deception Statutes

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Rhode Island bill to combat digital scams and identity fraud was signed into law.

"The new law ... protects individuals and businesses from those who knowingly impersonate an entity with the intent of facilitating fraud as well as protect individuals and businesses from digital forgery," according to a media release.

The legislation was introduced by state Rep. Joseph J. Solomon Jr., D-Warwick, and state Sen. Matthew L. LaMountain, D-Warwick and Cranston, to strengthen Rhode Island’s laws combatting identity fraud and emerging forms of digital deception.

“While our current statutes address traditional forms of identity fraud, they don’t account for the growing sophistication of impersonation schemes and digital forgery that we’re seeing today,” Solomon said in the release.

“We’ve all received these texts — the city of Providence trying to collect a fine, the DMV trying to suspend your license, the Turnpike and Bridge Authority trying to collect tolls," Solomon said. "This bill recognizes the increased use of technology in these scams to not only hold perpetrators accountable, but to deter conduct that can devastate victims, whether through financial loss, reputational harm or compromised personal security.”

The new law defines “digital forgery” as "participating in the generation, creation or distribution of a computer-generated visual or audio representation that’s been created to deceive people," according to the release.

“The newest digital scams tend to leverage the names of institutions and state agencies that people have grown to trust,” LaMountain said in the release.

“With technology allowing scammers to effectively impersonate these agencies, it has become a significant problem for businesses and agencies that have built up decades of trust," LaMountain said. "This bill would make it a felony to impersonate these agencies with the intent to defraud.”

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