{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/budget-deal-contains-casey-backed-plan-to-crackdown-on-identity-theft", "Budget Deal Contains Casey-Backed Plan to Crackdown on Identity Theft", "2013-12-17", "2013", "2013-12", "Democrat", "House", "PA", "Bob Casey", "C001070", "www.casey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, DC- Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that the recently announced budget agreement contains provisions to crackdown on identity theft. In 2012, Casey exposed lax federal rules that allowed identity thieves to obtain recently deceased Americans\u2019 Social Security numbers for as little as $10.\u00a0 Identity thieves could obtain the Social Security numbers through the so called \u2018Death Master List,\u2019 which listed the personal information of the recently deceased, allowing would-be identity thieves to assume the identities of recently deceased persons and wreak havoc on their families. The budget agreement will empower the Secretary of Commerce to restrict access to the Death Master file and better protect the identities of recently deceased persons.\r\n\u201cThe passing on of a loved one is a significant hardship for a family to deal with that shouldn\u2019t be compounded by the threat of identity theft,\u201d Senator Casey said. \u201cThis is a significant step forward that will protect the identities of the recently deceased and will work to ensure that their families are not preyed upon by criminals.\u201d \u00a0\r\nDeath Master File\r\nIn 1980, SSA entered into a consent agreement to release death information following a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.\u00a0 This information is available to purchase online through the Department of Commerce.\u00a0 The database contains much of the information needed to steal someone\u2019s identity; it includes the full name, Social Security Number, date of birth, and date of death of deceased citizens and legal residents.\u00a0 The records of a single individual can be purchased for as little as $10, and the entire database is available for around $2,000.\u00a0 The information has important legitimate uses; the financial community, insurance companies, security firms, and state and local governments all use the death master file to match records and prevent identity theft.\u00a0 However it has also allowed criminals to file fraudulent tax returns.\r\nSection 203 of the budget would establish a program under which the Secretary of Commerce restricts access to the information contained on the Death Master File (DMF) for a three-year period beginning on the date of the individual\u2019s death, except to those who are certified under a program to be established by the Secretary of Commerce. Under the program, those who have a fraud prevention interest or other legitimate need for the information and agree to maintain the information under safeguards similar to those required of Federal agencies that receive return information, as described in section 6103(p)(4) of title 26 of the United States Code, may apply for certification. The Secretary of Commerce reviews the eligibility of applicants, examines safeguards for protecting the information and conducts audits of certified entities to assure compliance with safeguards.\r\nTax Fraud\r\nData from the death master file allows perpetrators to file fraudulent returns impersonating a deceased taxpayer.\u00a0 A recent audit of the 2011 tax year identified 19,000 fraudulent returns from recently deceased taxpayers.\u00a0 Many additional fraudulent returns from deceased taxpayers may go undetected since no legitimate taxpayer may ever attempt to file again with the decedent\u2019s Social Security Number.\r\nThese returns contribute to the growing problem of identity theft in tax fraud.\u00a0 Overall, the IRS reports that they identified over 1.2 million identity theft returns in 2012 and as of June had identified 1.6 million this year.\u00a0 However, these figures only represent the returns the IRS was able to identify, so the actual figure is likely much higher.\u00a0 In a September 2013 audit report, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration estimated that the IRS issued approximately $3.6 billion in fraudulent tax refunds resulting from identity theft in 2011 alone.\r\nUnder the budget provision, a penalty of $1,000 for each disclosure or misuse of the information is imposed on any persons who improperly disclose the DMF information. A certified person in receipt of DMF information is responsible for any subsequent disclosure of such information. Even if the initial disclosure to a third party is appropriate, if that third party subsequently improperly discloses the information, the certified person is deemed to have also improperly disclosed the information. Thus, in a case in which the improper disclosure is made by a third party who received the information from a certified person, both the certified person and the person who improperly disclosed the information are subject to the penalty. The penalty may not exceed $250,000 per person for any calendar year, except in the case of willful disclosure. In such cases, the penalty is not limited.\r\nThe full text of Casey\u2019s \u00a02012 letter to the Office of Management and Budget and the Social Security Administration can be seen below:\r\nJuly 19, 2012\r\nThe Honorable Michael J. Astrue\r\nCommissioner of Social Security\r\nThe Honorable Jeffrey D. Zients\r\nActing Director\r\nThe Office of Management and Budget\r\nDear Mr. Astrue and Mr. Zients:\r\nI am writing to urge you to move forward with proposed changes to the Social Security Administration\u2019s policy on the release of the so-called \u201cdeath master file,\u201d and provide regular updates on its implementation.\u00a0 This document contains the Social Security Numbers and other vital information of deceased citizens and legal residents.\u00a0 As you know, the public release of this information has contributed to the troubling problem of identity theft in tax returns.\u00a0\r\nThe accessibility of the death master file appears to be inadvertently facilitating tax fraud.\u00a0 While the information released in this file has important legitimate uses, it has also been used to file fraudulent tax returns under the names of deceased taxpayers.\u00a0 For $10, an individual can purchase the full name, Social Security Number, date of birth, and date of death of a deceased citizen or legal resident\u2014the information needed to steal an identity and defraud the government or private businesses.\u00a0 This theft of deceased taxpayers\u2019 identities has grown into a serious problem.\u00a0 This year, as of March 2012, the IRS has identified 66,000 tax returns of recently deceased taxpayers that are likely fraudulent.\u00a0 This fraud not only takes revenue from the government, but it also forces families that have just lost a loved one to confront the ordeal of resolving this identity theft.\u00a0 These families often have no idea that their loved ones\u2019 personal information had been put on sale by the federal government.\r\nThe use of identity theft to file fraudulent returns has grown substantially.\u00a0 According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), last year over 1.3 million identity theft returns were detected and stopped from processing.\u00a0 The most recent data from March 2012 indicates that this year the IRS had already identified more than 720,000 identity theft returns.\u00a0 These numbers only represent returns that were detected by the IRS during processing.\u00a0 The number of overall identity theft returns is much greater because in many cases, the identity theft is not discovered until the legitimate taxpayer attempts to file.\u00a0 For taxpayers who do not have a filing requirement, the identity theft and corresponding revenue loss may not be discovered at all. Identity theft of deceased taxpayers is a significant part of this problem and has been exacerbated by the release of the death master file.\u00a0\r\nOver the past few years, the IRS has taken significant steps to address fraudulent returns.\u00a0 It has improved its processing system for tax returns, using filters to detect fraud before a refund is issued.\u00a0 The IRS has also stepped up its criminal prosecutions and established a program to use information received from other law enforcement agencies to flag taxpayers whose identities are known to have been stolen.\u00a0 Nevertheless, identity theft continues to cost taxpayers billions of dollars every year.\u00a0\r\nIt is our understanding that the Office of Management and Budget is currently reviewing a proposal by the Social Security Administration to restrict the release of the death master file to entities that have both a legitimate need for these data and the capabilities to secure the information.\u00a0 I request that you provide the status of this proposal, a list of any impediments to moving forward with the proposal and a timeline for implementation.\r\nIdentity theft creates a significant hardship for many American families, and robs our Nation of taxpayer dollars at a time when we face serious fiscal challenges.\u00a0 Addressing this issue will require a significant, coordinated effort.\u00a0 Preventing the widespread publication of deceased citizens\u2019 vital records is an important first step with broad support.\u00a0 I urge you to limit access to the death master file as soon as possible.\r\nSincerely,\r\nRobert P. Casey, Jr.\r\nUnited States Senator\r\n###\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tPress Contact\r\n\t\t\t\t\tJohn Rizzo 202-228-636", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/budget-deal-contains-casey-backed-plan-to-crackdown-on-identity-theft"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9016604162752628, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}