Bill advances to help child victims of identity theft

CARSON CITY — Assembly members are giving their unanimous stamp of approval to a bill that would protect children who are victims of identity theft.

Assembly Speaker John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, is sponsoring Assembly Bill 83, which passed out of the Assembly Monday and would allow people extra time to file a case if their identity was stolen while they were underage.

Existing law sets a three-year statute of limitation on filing a complaint about felony identity theft. AB83 extends the statute of limitations to four years if the victim was under 18 years of age when the crime was committed.

Supporters say children often don’t know their identities have been stolen until they apply for credit cards or loans when they become adults.

The bill now heads to the Senate.