Congressmen Randy Forbes (R-VA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI) today applauded passage of the bipartisan Cybercrime Anti-Resale Deterrent and Extraterritoriality Revision (CARDER) Act by the House Judiciary Committee. Langevin introduced the CARDER Act with Forbes as the lead Republican on the bill.
The CARDER Act would make it easier for law enforcement to prosecute foreign criminals who trade in Americans’ stolen credit cards. These “carders” act as middlemen by linking computer criminals with those who use stolen credit card information to make fraudulent purchases. Taking down carder forums can make it significantly more difficult to sell credit card data and simultaneously increase the chances of identifying and arresting the hackers responsible for the initial theft.
“Protecting everyday Americans’ sensitive financial information from cybercrime is a critical 21st century issue, requiring 21st century laws to ensure bulky, outdated requirements don’t hinder the Department of Justice’s ability to prosecute criminals outside the U.S. who commit crimes that harm Americans,” said Forbes. “I am proud to cosponsor and support the CARDER Act to ensure our law enforcement and prosecutors are equipped with the necessary tools to begin to attack the problem of cybercrime against U.S. citizens and businesses at its core. I applaud the House Judiciary Committee’s passage of the bill and urge the full House to do the same.”
“From large corporations to small businesses across the country, security breaches and the theft of American credit card data have reached epidemic proportions, costing time and money for both businesses and consumers,” said Langevin. “Cybercrime has a very real financial impact on those affected, and also on the underlying cost of doing business, and we must provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to bring these criminals to justice. I thank Rep. Forbes for his steadfast support of the bill and Chairman Goodlatte for bringing it before the Judiciary Committee. I look forward to its expeditious consideration by the full House.”
Current criminal law makes it difficult to prosecute carders, as they are often located outside of the United States. Carders must store either the stolen numbers or the gains from their illicit activities within the jurisdiction of the United States in order to be prosecuted. The CARDER Act, which is supported by the Department of Justice, would close this loophole.