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Committee adds 'entity' to identity-fraud law and advances bill amid industry support
Summary
The committee adopted a technical amendment and passed SB622 to add 'entity' to the identity-fraud statute, a change industry witnesses said closes a gap exploited by impersonation scams that use logos and brand marks.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday amended and advanced Senate Bill 622, which would expand New Hampshire’s identity-fraud statute to include "entities" such as corporations, limited-liability companies, trusts, partnerships and government agencies.
Sponsor Senator Dan Inennis said criminals increasingly impersonate businesses and government bodies, using logos and brand marks to convince victims to click fraudulent links. "This change would mean that those fraudulent texts that we receive about supposedly overdue tolls would be a criminal identity fraud offense," he told the committee. He offered an amendment (26-0076) to remove a grammatical error and tidy phrasing; the committee later adopted a similar committee amendment (20260076S).
Christine Merrill, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Bankers Association, urged the committee to approve the change, citing Federal Trade Commission and global statistics showing a rise in impersonation and fraud losses. She said current statute focuses on individuals and leaves prosecutors without a tailored tool for schemes that co-opt an organization’s identity.
Mora Weston of the New England Connectivity and Telecommunications Association said broadband and carrier companies support the measure because impersonation schemes increasingly target customers using spoofed brand communications.
The committee adopted the technical amendment and voted to pass SB622 as amended by voice vote. The hearing transcript records adoption and passage by voice; no detailed roll-call tallies are included.
