President Bush signed the Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act of 2006 on Jan. 5. The bill, introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-TX, criminalizes the fraudulent sale or solicitation of confidential telephone records. Selling or buying a person's phone records without permission invades their privacy, Rep. Smith said in a statement on his Web site. This data fraud can adversely affect Americans' lives. A careful study of these records may reveal details of our medical or financial life. It may even identify our occupation or physical location - a serious concern for undercover police officers and victims of stalking or domestic violence. The bill makes pretexting - the act of buying, selling or obtaining personal phone records without the phone customer's consent - a federal crime that could yield up to 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The activity has been linked to identity theft and has become a moneymaking scam. Individua