Prevention of Fraudulent Access to Phone Records Act

Prevention of Fraudulent Access to Phone Records Act - Makes it unlawful to attempt to obtain, or cause to be disclosed to any person, customer proprietary network information (CPNI) relating to any other person by: (1) making a false or fraudulent statement to an officer, employee, or agent of a telecommunications carrier; or (2) providing any document or other information to such officer, employee, or agent that the presenter knows or should have known to be forged, lost, stolen, or otherwise fraudulently obtained, or to contain a false or fraudulent statement or representation. Prohibits also: (1) the solicitation of another person to fraudulently obtain such information; and (2) the sale or other disclosure of CPNI obtained under false pretenses. Provides for enforcement through the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to expand responsibilities of telecommunications carriers with respect to the confidentiality of subscriber (customer) calling records, both cellular and land-line based. Allows a carrier to use individual calling records only for purposes such as increasing business or publishing directories, and prohibits a carrier from otherwise disclosing CPNI without express prior authorization by the subscriber. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to prescribe regulations adopting more stringent security standards for CPNI (including detailed customer telephone records) to detect and prevent confidentiality violations. Provides penalties for such violations.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov