Section 359-B:23 Notice to Consumers.
I. Any time a consumer reporting agency is required to make a written disclosure to consumers pursuant to 15 U.S.C. section 1681g, it shall disclose, in at least 12-point type, and in bold type as indicated, the following notice:
NOTICE TO NEW HAMPSHIRE CONSUMERS
Right to Security Freeze on Consumer Credit Report
You have the right to place a ""security freeze'' on your credit report pursuant to RSA 359-B:24. Under New Hampshire law, what is commonly known as a credit report is referred to as a ""consumer report.'' A security freeze will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing any information in your consumer report without your express authorization. The security freeze must be requested in writing, by certified mail.
You may obtain a security freeze on your consumer report at no charge if you are a victim of identity theft and you submit a copy of the police report, investigative report, or complaint that you filed with a law enforcement agency about unlawful use of your personal information by another person.
The consumer reporting agency may charge you a fee for the security freeze if you are not a victim of identity theft.
The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gains access to the personal and financial information in your consumer report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding new loans, credit, mortgage, insurance, government services or payments, rental housing, employment, investment, license, cellular phone, utilities, digital signature, internet credit card transaction, or other services, including an extension of credit at point of sale.
When you place a security freeze on your consumer report, within 10 business days you will be provided a personal identification number or password to use if you choose to remove the freeze on your consumer report or authorize the release of your consumer report for a specific party or period of time after the freeze is in place. To provide that authorization, you must contact the consumer reporting agency and provide all of the following:
(1) The unique personal identification number or password provided by the consumer reporting agency.
(2) Proper identification to verify your identity.
(3) The proper information regarding the third party who will receive the credit report or the period of time for which the report shall be available to users of the credit report.
(4) Payment of the applicable fee, if any.
A consumer reporting agency that receives a request from a consumer to lift temporarily a freeze on a consumer report must comply with the request no later than 3 business days after receiving the request.
A security freeze does not apply to a person or entity, or its affiliates, or collection agencies acting on behalf of the person or entity with which you have an existing account that requests information in your consumer report for the purposes of reviewing or collecting the accounts, provided the use of your credit report is for a permissible purpose as provided by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Reviewing the account includes activities related to account maintenance, monitoring, credit line increases, and account upgrades and enhancements.
You have the right to bring a civil action against anyone who violates your rights under the credit reporting laws.
Source. 2006, 208:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2007.