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Identity theft occurs when a criminal, through fraud, theft or deception, obtains important personal or financial information, such as your Social Security number, banking or credit card numbers. Criminals use the information to commit fraud, theft, or other crimes, often for financial gain.
Identity theft victims may experience financial losses, and spend considerable time, effort and money to fix the damage to their financial and credit records, and restore their damaged reputation. It’s Time for Your Spring Privacy Check-upSpring has sprung! Iowans are out in the yard clearing brush collected over the winter, and indoors on rainy days cleaning up from a winter inside. While you are sprucing up the house, also make sure to set aside time to review, check-up, and clean up your personal and financial privacy settings and protection plans. Read More I think I may be a victim –We strongly urge you to follow this advice if you are a victim of Identity Theft or if you think you may be a victim. Find Out More The Federal Trade Commission has established a free resource to help you report and recover from identity theft. CLICK HERE FOR THE FTC Find Out More The only free credit reporting source authorized by Federal law is AnnualCreditReport.com. If you need to see activity reported to credit agencies, this is a good place to start. Find Out More If you need a way to prove to law enforcement and credit reporting agencies that you have indeed been a victim of ID theft, the State of Iowa Attorney General's office can issue you an ID Theft Passport. Victims can present their Passport to law enforcement agencies to help prevent their arrest for offenses committed by a person who stole their identity. The ID Theft Passport may also be presented to creditors to aid in the investigation of fraudulent charges and to consumer reporting agencies as an official notice of disputed charges on credit reports. Find Out More Through an Equal Justice Works Crime Victims grant, Iowa Legal Aid can provide legal assistance to victims of identity theft and fraud. This includes assisting eligible clients through the process of disputing items with the credit reporting agencies. In addition, they can provide other civil legal services and victim advocacy to clients who have been victims of identity theft or fraud. Find Out MoreI want to learn more –How to avoid becoming a victim Find Out More Recovering from ID theft Find Out More Warning signs of ID Theft Find Out More How to get your free credit report Find Out More ID Theft of medical data Find Out More How to keep your social security number safe Find Out More |
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