Iowa government, industry, non-profits and educators joining forces to prevent identity theft and to help victims recover. |
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.
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-up
Spring 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.
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.
The Federal Trade Commission has established a free resource to help you report and recover from identity theft. CLICK HERE FOR THE FTC
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.
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.
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.
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I want to learn more –How to avoid becoming a victim
Recovering from ID theft
Warning signs of ID Theft
How to get your free credit report
ID Theft of medical data
How to keep your social security number safe
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I want to join the coalition –The Iowa Identity Theft Victim Assistance Coalition was created through a grant from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.
The Coalition’s mission is to help our members better serve their constituents, customers, clients, and students by sharing our resources and ideas. Our members include:
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