(a)  Unless otherwise required by federal law, no person shall require that a consumer of goods or services disclose all or part of a social security number incident to the sale of consumer goods or services; provided, however, that:

(1)  Insurance companies and institutions licensed by the state or federal government for financial services may require applicants for those services to disclose their social security number;

(2)  Social security numbers may be required for the providing and billing of health care or pharmaceutical-related services, including the issuance of identification cards and account numbers for users of health care or pharmaceutical-related services; and

(3)  Disclosure may be required of a consumer as a condition of applying for a credit card for the purchase of goods or services.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 6-13-17

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6

(b)  Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500).

(c)  In any civil action alleging a violation of this section, the court may award damages, reasonable attorney’s fees, and costs to a prevailing consumer and afford injunctive relief against any person or business that commits or proposes to commit a violation of this section.

History of Section.
P.L. 1993, ch. 435, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 57, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 69, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 528, § 9.