Sinema Renews Call for Equifax Hearings, Passage of Senior Safe Act in Response to Latest Equifax Breach

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) reiterated her call for the House Financial Services Committee to hold hearings to ensure Equifax has made the necessary changes to secure Arizonans' personal data and protect Arizonans from identity theft and fraud. Sinema's request comes as news breaks that 2.4 million additional Equifax customers have had their data stolen without their knowledge. Sinema's Senior Safe Act, which is expected to pass the Senate next week, will help Arizona seniors protect their data and keep their hard-earned savings safe from fraudsters and scammers.

Today's report of additional breaches demonstrates that the scope of Equifax's data breach is still unknown. In February, Sinema called for a hearing to demand more information from Equifax following news that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was backing off of its investigation into the company's practices.

"Data breaches will only become more common and Arizonans need the tools to protect themselves," said Congresswoman Sinema. "We need Congressional hearings immediately to ensure Equifax is taking every possible step to protect Arizonans' personal information."

150 million Americans had their data stolen in Equifax's 2017 data breach, leaving many seniors increasingly exposed to financial fraud. To combat this problem, Sinema introduced the Senior Safe Act. The bill, which passed the House in February with support from both parties, empowers financial institutions to identify and report senior financial fraud and abuse. The Senior Safe Act will help law enforcement bring more financial criminals to justice and help Arizona's seniors keep more of their hard-earned savings.

"Arizona seniors know they're at risk for identity theft and financial fraud and they're taking steps to protect their data from criminals," Sinema continued. "My Senior Safe Act helps financial institutions identify and prevent senior financial fraud. We've put party politics aside to pass the Senior Safe Act and we'll keep fighting for Arizona seniors and their hard-earned savings."

The Senior Safe Act is expected to be included in the Senate's banking package. Senate voting on the package is scheduled for next week.

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