LEGISLATION TARGETING IDENTITY THEFT WELCOMED BY MP MARK WARAWA - Langley Residents Victims of Theft of Mail

April 01, 2009

The re-introduction of tough legislation that will target identity theft is welcome news to Langley MP Mark Warawa who has been working on the issue of mail/identity theft on behalf of a number of Langley victims.

“Organized crime and modern technology are changing the criminal landscape, making identity theft easier than ever,” said Warawa. “This legislation will provide police with the tools they need to protect Canada’s families, seniors, and businesses from the numerous harms of identity crime.”

The proposed legislation would create three new offences targeting the early stages of identity-related crime, all of which are subject to 5-year maximum prison sentences. The offences are:

Obtaining and possessing identity information with the intent to use the information deceptively, dishonestly or fraudulently in the commission of a crime;
Trafficking in identity information, an offence that targets those who transfer or sell information to another person with knowledge of or recklessness toward the possible criminal use of the information; and
Unlawfully possessing or trafficking in government-issued identity documents that contain the information of another person.

Additional Criminal Code amendments would create new offences of fraudulently redirecting or causing redirection of a person’s mail, possessing a counterfeit Canada Post mail key, and possessing instruments for extracting and copying debit and credit card information. It would also add new offences and certain existing offences to the list of offences for which a wiretap order may be obtained. This legislation would also give courts the power to, as part of a sentence, order an offender to pay restitution to a victim of identity theft or fraud where the victim has incurred expenses related to rehabilitating their identity.

Warawa has organized a meeting later this month with the Langley RCMP, Canada Post, and municipal politicians, to discuss what measures Canada Post and the RCMP can do to mitigate mail theft., which has become prevalent in Langley and is a growing problem across the country. “We are taking steps to ensure the safety and security of our citizens,” Warawa concluded.