BLAME THE AGs
Never underestimate the ability of state attorneys general to engage in hypocrisy when they see a chance to gain political advantage with their beloved consumers (i.e., voters).
When calling for tougher laws to protect citizens’ financial privacy, they should look at their own actions. In the area of charitable fundraising, state laws (mostly written with the fingerprints of the AGs all over them) require charities and fundraisers to file detailed licensing applications for public inspection. Many of these applications ask for the Social Security numbers, home addresses and home phone numbers and other private information of the principals of the registering charities and fundraisers. New York’s AG Eliot Spitzer even wants the past employment histories of individuals who raise money for charities by phone.
The licensing laws require that these applications be available to the public. So any scam artist who wants to commit identity theft merely needs to go to his local AG’s office to obtain these records. But these types of facts have never stopped many AGs from trying to score political points in the name of consumer protection.
Mark Fitzgibbons
President of Operations and General Counsel
American Target Advertising Inc.
Manassas, VA
GET ON THE BUS
I enjoyed reading Beth Negus Viveiros’ recent column about lost luggage (
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