Collin Marozzi serves as Advocacy Director for the ACLU of Ohio.
It is universally agreed that the best thing you can do to protect yourself from identity theft and scams is to be diligent with when, how, and with whom you share your personal information.
The Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Ohio Attorney General’s office warn that one of the likeliest ways to know you are the target of a phishing or imposter scam is to receive official-looking communications urgently demanding you send your sensitive information.
Until now, that has been a reliable indicator that you are likely being duped, but if Gov. Mike DeWine doesn’t veto House Bill 472, our government will officially sanction the very behavior every fraud expert warns never to do.
The bill will require Ohioans to mail a copy of their photo ID when either requesting or returning a mail-in ballot. Ohio already requires a photo ID when voting in person. This legislation was passed over the unanimous objections of Ohio’s county elections officials, voting advocates and the Secretary of State’s own warnings.
A scammer’s dream
As often happens when legislation is introduced and passed in mere hours, the bill is riddled with unintended consequences and glaring red flags. That’s what happens when bills aren’t vetted and input from practitioners and experts is ignored.
Aside from the fact that this new law will exclude voters who rely on mail voting to participate in our democracy, the most dangerous unintended consequence of HB 472 is the likely spike in scams and identity theft.
Let’s start with the data.
First, the 2024 general election saw nearly one million Ohioans vote by mail. Second, Ohioans 65 and older are, unsurprisingly, the most likely to vote by mail. Finally, the names and addresses of voters requesting a mail-in ballot are publicly available. Put it together…
If HB 472 becomes law, twice a year, up to a million Ohioans will be required to mail a copy of their unredacted photo ID – and a public list of exactly who did so will be available to anyone who wants it.
This is a scammer’s dream come true, and HB 472 provides nefarious actors with a playbook.
This is not catastrophizing or grasping at straws.
It’s a straightforward prediction of what follows if this hastily created legislation becomes law.
A bull’s eye on the vulnerable
Seniors are already the most likely age group to be targeted for financial exploitation. But one of their most reliable defenses has always been a simple, well-established rule: legitimate institutions don’t ask you to mail them a copy of your ID.
HB 472 turns that rule on its head.
Picture the letters flooding absentee voters’ mailboxes in official-looking envelopes from phony entities like “Voter Verification, LLC” or “Ohio Election Center” urgently demanding voters resend a copy of their ID or face felony election charges.
Tragically, some voters will fall for it and, at best, spend the next three months freezing their accounts and assets, obtaining brand new documentation, and likely suffering some financial loss.
The worst-case scenario is that scammers drain everything before anyone notices. Now, obviously, scams currently exist, and we must always remain vigilant, but it cannot go unstated how HB 472 mandates the exact behavior that every fraud prevention expert teaches people to avoid.
There is no putting the toothpaste back in the tube here. Once we are conditioned to mail our sensitive information, we’ll never get that security back.
Governor DeWine must veto HB 472.
The bill was passed without proper vetting, over the objections of people who run our elections, and it will make our most vulnerable citizens easy prey to scammers. The ACLU of Ohio works to protect Ohioans’ voting rights and their privacy rights, and this bill sits at a unique intersection where both sacred liberties are under attack.
Governor, protect your legacy of caring for Ohio’s elderly and vulnerable. Veto House Bill 472.
Collin Marozzi serves as Advocacy Director for the ACLU of Ohio. Based in Columbus, he works with coalition partners, community stakeholders and elected officials to advance the ACLU’s agenda.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mailing unredacted IDs is a scammer’s dream. DeWine must protect voters | Opinion
Reporting by Collin Marozzi, Guest Columnist / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Collin Marozzi, Guest Columnist | USA TODAY Network
