The Canadian government on Wednesday tabled legislation aimed at cracking down on those who steal identity information, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said.
The bill would give authorities the power to arrest, charge, and convict people who intend to sell personal information for fraud or other purposes, Nicholson told a press conference.
The proposed legislation would create three new offences, all carrying maximum five-year prison sentences. These include: obtaining or possessing identity information with intent to use it to commit certain crimes; trafficking in identity information with knowledge of or recklessness as to its intended use in the commission of certain crimes; possessing and trafficking in government-issued identity documents.
The Canadian Council of Better Business Bureaus estimates identity theft costs Canadian consumers and businesses more than 2billion Canadian dollars (2.04 billion U.S. dollars) a year.
About 8,000 Canadians reported losses through identity theft last year, the government said.
The bill is one in a series of anti-crime legislative measures the Conservative government tabled in parliament this week, including bills proposing mandatory jail time for drug dealers and increased penalties for those convicted of street racing.
Source: Xinhua
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