Social Security Number Disclosure in Rhode Island (RI)

Did you know that social security number disclosure in Rhode Island (RI) is not mandatory?  Well, to a certain point anyway.  I know some of you are looking for specific identity theft laws, hence I scouted the Internet to find them.  I looked at the FTC’s Identity Theft Website and the State of Rhode Island General Assembly Website to arrive at the following information:

TITLE 6
Commercial Law – General Regulatory Provisions
CHAPTER 6-13
Unfair Sales Practices
SECTION 6-13-17

§ 6-13-17 Requiring consumers to furnish social security numbers. – (a) Unless otherwise required by federal law, no person shall require that a consumer of goods or services disclose a social security number incident to the sale of consumer goods or services; provided, however, that:

(1) Insurance companies and institutions licensed by the state or federal government for financial services may require applicants for those services to disclose their social security number;

(2) Social security numbers may be required for the providing and billing of health care or pharmaceutical-related services, including the issuance of identification cards and account numbers for users of health care or pharmaceutical-related services; and

(3) Disclosure may be required of a consumer as a condition of applying for a credit card for the purchase of goods or services.

(b) Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500).

(c) In any civil action alleging a violation of this section, the court may award damages, reasonable attorney’s fees, and costs to a prevailing consumer, and afford injunctive relief against any person or business that commits or proposes to commit a violation of this section.

Just take into consideration that this Rhode Island law excludes insurance companies, health care or pharmaceutical companies, as well as credit card companies granting a consumer a line of credit. These statues are by no means there so you can abuse them. They are simply there to protect you from identity theft and related outcomes of fraud. Businesses also face a rising wave of fraud and providing a social security number is an extra ounce of protection to ensure that they don’t go bankrupt. So if you want that shiny new credit card to state your name proudly on the front of it you still must fork over the digits.