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| WEST SPRINGFIELD State Representative James T. Welch (D-West Springfield) is pleased to announce that he is co-sponsoring legislation responding to the illegal sale of personal cell phone records on the internet. The legislation will make this practice a felony punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a fine up to $20,000. Additionally, receiving these records will be treated as receipt of stolen property. "This legislation will help stop this invasive activity in Massachusetts," Welch said. There are currently up to 40 websites that sell the call histories of personal cell phones or landline phones. The selling of such information is known as "pretexting" and in most cases, a billing address or phone number is all the information needed to obtain phone records. This legislation would not apply to law enforcement agencies or telecommunication carriers with lawful consent of the customer or subscriber. Welch represents the 6th Hampden District, which consists of West Springfield in its entirety, Precincts 2B, 4A, 4B, 4C and 5B in Chicopee and Precinct 2E in Springfield. |