The Proposed Identity Theft Enforcement And Restitution ActThe proposed Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act is hoping to enable victims to reclaim costs for their time and losses when restoring their name and credit records. It is hoped that federal prosecutors will be able to obtain restitution on behalf of victims. The bill is being sponsored by Democrat Patrick Leahy (Vermont) and Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and is hoping to gain support from Senators on both sides of the House. The proposed bill also wants to tighten up existing cybercrime laws. This would include making it a felony to install spyware on ten or more computers. Also included would be a requirement that damages in excess of $5,000 must occur before felony prosecutions are initiated will be lifted. It is believed that in 2006 there were 8.4 million victims of identity theft in the USA.
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