(1) A solicitor that makes a firm offer of credit for a lender credit card or a seller credit card to a consumer by mail solicitation and receives an acceptance of that offer that lists the address of the consumer accepting the offer as different from the address to which the offer was sent shall, prior to issuing or directing issuances of the lender credit card or seller credit card, verify that the consumer accepting the offer is the same consumer to whom the offer was sent.
(2) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
"Firm offer of credit" shall have the same meaning as set forth in 15 U.S.C. sec.1681a (l).
"Solicitor" means the person making the offer by mail solicitation and does not include a card issuer or other creditor when that creditor or card issuer relies on an independent third party to provide the services.
"Verify" means the use of commercially reasonable efforts to ascertain that the consumer responding to a mail solicitation is the same consumer to whom the solicitation was directed. For the purposes of this article, a solicitor shall be deemed to verify that the consumer accepting a mail solicitation is the same consumer to whom the solicitation was directed if:
A consumer responding at a telephone number appearing in a publicly available directory or database as the telephone number of the consumer to whom the solicitation was mailed identifies himself or herself as the consumer to whom the solicitation was mailed and acknowledges the consumer's acceptance of the solicitation; or
A consumer presents the solicitor, including presentation by facsimile transmissionor mail, the original or a copy of one or more documents, including a driver's license, social security card, passport, or any other identification document issued by a state or federal governmental agency, that, on the face of the document or documents, appears to confirm such consumer's identity as the consumer to whom a solicitation was mailed and the consumer acknowledges acceptance of the solicitation; or
The solicitor verified, by any means adopted in federal regulations, that the consumer accepting the solicitation is the consumer to whom the solicitation was directed; or
The solicitor verified by any other means, that under the standards and practices ofthe industry in which the solicitor is engaged would be deemed sufficient, that the consumer accepting the solicitation is the same consumer to whom the solicitation was sent.
Source: L. 2004: Entire article added, p. 657, § 1, effective July 1.