Go to Mass.gov home.
  • State Offices & Courts
  • State A-Z Topics
  • State Forms

No Active Alerts

  • Skip to main content
  • Need help resizing text?
The Official Website of the Office of Consumer Affairs & Business Regulation (OCABR)
Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation

Main Menu

  • The current page belongs to the main category of Consumer
    Expand Consumer
    • Advisories
      • Beware Chimney Cleaning and Repair Scams pdf format of Beware Chimney Cleaning and Repair Scams
      • Cable & Telecom Advisories
      • Cell Phones and the Do Not Call Registry
      • more... of Advisories
    • Alerts
      • Banks & Credit Alerts
      • Product Recalls
      • Refund Anticipation Loans
    • Archived Publications
      • Consumer Advisories
      • Consumer Insiders
      • News & Updates
    • Autos
      • Lemon Laws
      • Buy / Sell
      • Auto Repair
      • more... of Autos and Transportation
    • Banks & Banking
      • Selecting Banks and Credit Unions
      • Loans and Mortgages
      • Education
      • more... of Banks & Banking
    • Cable TV & Telecommunications
      • Cable TV
      • Telecommunication
      • Advisories
      • more... of Cable TV & Telecommunications
    See all 26 topics in Consumer
  • Business
    Expand Business
    • Autos & Transportation
      • Lemon Law Used
      • Lemon Aid Law
      • Arbitration Regulations
      • more... of Autos & Transportation
    • Banking
      • Forms
      • Banking Legal Resources
      • FAQs
      • more... of Banking Industry Services
    • Cable TV & Telecommunications
      • Regulation of telecommunication providers
      • Consumer Assistance
      • Registered Service Providers
    • Do Not Call
      • Solicitor Information
      • W-9 Form pdf format of W-9 Form
      • W-9 Form Instructions pdf format of W-9 Form Instructions
    • Utilities
      • Energy Resources
      • Energy Facilities Siting Board
      • Electric Power
      • more... of Energy, Fuel & Utilities
    • Home Improvement
      • Basic Rules for Home Improvement Contractors
      • HIC Registration
      • HIC Arbitration Program
      • more... of Home Improvement Contractors
    See all 11 topics in Business
  • Licensee
    Expand Licensee
    • DPL Boards
      • Cosmetologists
      • Electricians
      • Psychologists
      • more... of Division of Professional Licensure Boards
    • License Types
      • Construction
      • Finance, real estate
      • Professional Licenses
      • more... of License Types, Forms & Requirements
    • Overview
      • Regulations by Topic
      • Code of Mass. Regs. (CMR)
      • U.S. Business Regulations
      • more... of Overview of Regulatory System
  • Government
    Expand Government
    • Cable TV & Telecommunications
      • Cable TV
      • Regulation of telecommunication providers
    • Utilities
      • Energy Facilities Siting Board
      • Natural Gas Industry
      • Pipeline Safety
    • Wireless Collaborative
      • Wireless Mediation
      • Relevant Laws and Regs
      • Helpful Links
      • more... of Massachusetts Municipal-Industry Wireless Collaborative
    • Agencies and Divisions
      • OCABR
      • Division of Banks
      • Division of Insurance
      • more... of Our Agencies and Divisions
    • Overview
      • Regulations by Topic
      • Code of Mass. Regs. (CMR)
      • Admin. Procedure, Ch. 30A
      • more... of Overview of Regulatory System
    • Special Commission on Auto Body Rates
      • Final Report of Special Commission on Auto... pdf format of Final Report of Special Commission on Auto...
      • Written Testimonies on Auto Body Rates pdf format of Written Testimonies on Auto Body Rates file size 21MB
      • Written Testimony of the Special Commission on... pdf format of Written Testimony of the Special Commission on... file size 1MB
    See all 8 topics in Government

Breadcrumbs

  1. Home
  2. Consumer
  3. Identity Theft

Identity Theft

In keeping with Governor Patrick's commitment to balancing consumer protection with the needs of small business owners, the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation announced on Aug. 17 adjustments to Massachusetts' identity theft regulations that maintain protections and also reinforce flexibility in compliance by small businesses.

The updated regulations, which took effect March 1, 2010, make clear that their approach to data security is a risk-based approach that is especially important to small businesses that may not handle a lot of personal information about customers. Under a risk-based approach, a business, in developing a written security program, should take into account its size, nature of its business, the kinds of records it maintains, and the risk of identity theft posed by its operations.

  • Identity Theft Frequently Asked Questions pdf format of Identity Theft FAQs

  • Surviving theft of financial identity

  • 201 CMR 16.00: Placing, Lifting and Removal of Security Freezes

  • Executive Order 504: Order Regarding the Security and Confidentiality of Personal Information pdf format of Executive Order 504

  • Report on the MGL Chapter 93H Notifications pdf format of Report on the MGL Chapter 93H Notifications

  • Protecting your financial information from "phishing" links to PDF file

    Brochure from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

  • Identity Theft Law

    8/2/07

Complementary Content

News & Updates

  • Patrick-Murray Administration's Identity Theft...
  • Patrick-Murray Administration, which Authored...
  • Small-Business Considerations Reflected in...
  • Office of Consumer Affairs Files Revised ID...
  • Patrick Administration Issues Comprehensive...
Subscribe to News & Updates RSS feed. Learn more about RSS

Related Links

  • Identity Theft Information for Businesses

© 2013 Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Mass.Gov® is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

  • Site Policies
  • Contact Us