(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. (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 ll 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.
Rhode Island Legal Code