Oct 6, 2015 2 min read

The House of Representatives today unanimously passed a bill to toughen penalties and provide new tools to crack down on con artists using bogus Internet ploys to steal confidential information and defraud consumers and businesses.

“These ‘phishing’ scams rob consumers of billions of dollars every year,” said state Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane Township, a member of the House Consumer Affairs and Judiciary committees who introduced the bill.

“Cracking down on online thievery is long overdue, and my measure would help victims and prosecutors counter the scams, which are growing in frequency and sophistication,” Neuman said.

House Bill 969 would:

• Establish second- and third-degree felonies for convictions, carrying penalties of up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $25,000;

• Enable civil actions, including injunctive relief, by victims, Internet service providers and the attorney general;

• Provide for civil damages of up to $100,000 for each violation;

• Allow state courts to triple actual damage awards with repeated violations;

• Empower the attorney general to bring action under the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law;

• Provide liability protection for Internet service providers withholding any website, information or data they believe to be in violation of the law.

H.B. 969 now heads to the state Senate for consideration.