BILL NUMBER: S7627
SPONSOR: COONEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the penal law, in relation to establishing the crimes of
spoofing a police agency telephone number in the first and second
degrees
 
PURPOSE:
This legislation creates the crime of spoofing a police agency in the
second degree a Class A misdemeanor, as well as the crime of spoofing a
police agency in the first degree a class E Felony.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one creates the crime of spoofing a police agency in the second
degree. This crime would apply when a person, with intent to defraud,
harass, annoy or alarm another person, places a telephone call and caus-
es their Caller ID information to display a phone number of a police
agency or any other political subdivision of this state. This crime
would be classified as an A misdemeanor.
Section two creates the crime of spoofing a police agency in the first
degree. This crime would apply when a person, with intent to defraud,
harass, annoy or alarm another person, places a telephone call and caus-
es their Caller ID information to display a phone number of a police
agency or any political subdivision of this state, having previously
been convicted of spoofing a police agency in the second degree within
the prior ten years. This crime would be classified as an E felony.
Section 3 is the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
This bill will criminalize the act of spoofing a police or political
subdivision phone number. Spoofing involves impersonating the phone
number or other Caller ID information of another, making it appear to
the receiver of the call that the spoofed entity is contacting them.
This trickery is especially problematic when the receiver of the call
believes that a police or governmental entity is communicating with
them.
Copying police phone numbers, or the phone number of a political subdi-
vision, could cause the receiver of the phone call to erroneously
believe that they needed to respond to certain questions, or take
certain actions. This could lead to fraud, blackmail, or the spread of
false information, among other things.
We must do all we can to ensure that communications from the police or
local governments are not fabricated or used to defraud the public.
This legislation seeks to protect the integrity of communications from
our government, and ensures individuals are not harassed or taken advan-
tage of based on the spoofing of an official phone number.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021/2022: S388 - referred to Rules
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day.