Pretexting is now a Federal Crime
Wednesday, January 17th, 2007President Bush signs bill banning pretexting
President Bush has signed the Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act of 2006 into law, making the practice of pretexting illegal. Under the new law, anyone attempting to “knowingly and intentionally” acquire the phone records of a third party by making false representations to a phone company or selling such illegally obtained records will face up to ten years in prison and fines. The penalty can be increased for offenses involving over 50 victims.
I’m interested in seeing the signing statement. It would not surprise me if he has reserved the right for law enforcement to use pretexting to gather evidence, in his “War on Terror.” But then again, my do they need pretexting at all. They could just right a letter.
