New York Assembly Bill A06005

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/25/25
• Refer: 2/25/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Establishes the crimes of spoofing a police agency telephone number in the first and second degrees as a class E felony and a class A misdemeanor.

Summary

This bill creates two new crimes in the Penal Law for “spoofing a police agency telephone number.” Under the measure, a person commits the second-degree offense when, with intent to defraud, harass, annoy, threaten, or alarm, they place a call that causes the recipient’s caller ID or other displayed information to appear as though the call came from a New York police agency or local police agency. The second-degree offense is classified as a class A misdemeanor. The bill also creates a first-degree version of the offense, a class E felony, for anyone who commits the second-degree offense and has a prior conviction within the last ten years for either degree of the same offense. The act would take effect 60 days after becoming law. In practical terms, the bill targets deceptive caller-ID spoofing that impersonates law enforcement, especially where the impersonation is used to intimidate, mislead, or harass recipients.

Impact

The bill would amend the New York Penal Law by adding new sections 190.90 and 190.95, thereby expanding criminal liability for telephone spoofing that falsely presents a call as coming from a police agency. It would give prosecutors a specific misdemeanor and felony charge to use against individuals who impersonate police by phone, rather than relying only on broader fraud, harassment, or impersonation statutes. The measure affects individuals and entities engaged in deceptive telecommunications practices, and it is aimed at protecting the public from scams and intimidation involving false law-enforcement caller identification.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the apparent sentiment is supportive and protective in nature. The proposal is framed as a public-safety and anti-fraud measure, suggesting an intent to deter abusive impersonation of police agencies and to provide clearer criminal penalties. No contrary viewpoints, amendments, or recorded opposition are included in the available context.

Contention

No committee transcript or voting history is provided, so there are no documented points of contention in the record supplied here. Potential issues that could arise in discussion include the scope of the intent requirement, how spoofing would be proven, and whether existing fraud, harassment, or impersonation laws already cover the conduct. Another possible area of debate is whether the felony enhancement for repeat offenders is appropriately calibrated, but no specific legislator or stakeholder position is available in the materials.