On July 29, 2009 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a News Release announcing that it is granting industries under the FTC’s jurisdiction an additional 3 months to develop and implement their identity theft prevention programs as required under the FTC’s Identify Theft Red Flags Rule. Additionally, the FTC staff will “redouble” its education efforts and ease compliance by providing additional resources and guidance to clarify whether businesses are covered by the Rule and what they must do to comply. By extending the enforcement date of the Rule until November 1, 2009, the FTC intends to give creditors and financial institutions more time to review the forthcoming guidance and to develop and implement written Identity Theft Prevention Programs. The announcement of the extension is also available at www.ftc.gov, and our prior posts on the Red Flags Rule are available here.
