ID THEFT NEWS – WEEKLY UPDATE
Over 12 million consumers a year become victims of identity theft. Identity theft victims may not know their identity has been stolen until they receive calls from debt collectors or see accounts on their credit report that do not belong to them.
What can consumers do to protect their identities and credit reputation? Federal law provides identity theft victims with rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) 15 U.S.C. §§1681, et seq. Under the FCRA, identity theft victims have the right to request two (2) free credit reports every 12 months and can place a fraud alert (90 day and extended 7 year) on their credit file.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives identity theft victims the right to dispute credit report errors due to fraud. The incorrect information may include accounts, name variations, public records and addresses. The credit reporting agencies (such as Equifax, Experian and Trans Union) must conduct a reasonable “reinvestigation” of the information disputed by the consumer. The credit reporting agencies must block fraudulent information in 4 business days if they receive an identity theft report. Download your free identity theft affidavit HERE.
If the credit reporting agencies break the law, then consumers have the right to sue them in federal court for actual and statutory damages, plus attorneys’ fees. Micah Adkins represents victims of identity theft across the country. Here are some of the identity theft stories I am following across the country.
ALABAMA
Mobile Alabama – FUGITIVE FILES Identity Theft WALA-TV FOX10
Mobile Police Corporal Christopher Levy says, “What’s significant about her is that we’ve actually signed warrants for her for identity theft. But she is continuing to use her victim’s name even when she comes in contact with police. She has been …
FLORIDA
South Florida – Incidents of tax-related ID theft appear to be dropping Sun-Sentinel
Tax preparers attribute the slowdown to the IRS cracking down on offenders, making it harder for them to file returns with someone else’s identity. In just a year, the IRS tripled the number of tax-related identity theft investigations and doubled the …
Tallahassee Florida – TCC students among victims in $3.3-million ID-theft case Tallahassee.com
On Tuesday, jurors in Escarmant’s federal trial found him guilty of charges including submitting false claims to the IRS and aggravated identity theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 17 before U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard. Escarmant is …
Tampa Florida – IRS gets help fighting identity theft tax fraud Tbo.com
The additional manpower is part of a comprehensive effort to combat the identity theft tax refund fraud that has exploded in the area the last few years, allowing criminals to steal hundreds of millions of federal taxpayer dollars locally and billions …
GEORGIA
Athens Georgia – Arrest made in identity theft, forgery in Gainesville Online Athens
They charged him with identity theft and first degree forgery. He was booked into the Hall County Jail under an immigration hold. WGCL-TV reported that Longoria-Cardoza had a Georgia driver’s license which had his picture, but …
Atlanta Georgia – Help Desk: Protect Yourself From Identity Theft WXIA-TV
Identity theft occurs when a thief uses a legitimate taxpayer’s personal information such as your name, Social Security Number (SSN) and address without your permission and files a tax return to get the refund. The IRS says fraudulent returns are filed …
Macon Georgia – Bibb deputies seek suspects in identity theft Macon Telegraph (blog)
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office needs help identifying suspects who stole a woman’s wallet at Cracker Barrel on Riverside Drive and later used her credit card at Target on Presidential Parkway. The suspects were caught on video. A black man in his 70s …
The SRS is in South Carolina about 25 miles southeast of Augusta. The U.S. Department of Energy said in a statement that initial indications are that the disclosure was not the result of a cyber-intrusion and that no classified data was compromised. Workers are being told “to be vigilant in monitoring financial transactions and emails or phone calls relating to such personal transactions.”
Atlanta Georgia – Ways to prevent tax related ID theft Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
“If criminals intercept just one W2 or 1040 form — or if they dupe someone into providing that information — they gain a wealth of information that can be used for identity theft,” says Ken Chaplin, senior vice president of marketing for Experian’s …
LOUISIANA
Shreveport Louisiana – Authorities searching for man accused of identity theft and fraud KTBS
Since Guidry’s release, Caddo Sheriff’s Detective Bobby Herring obtained a new warrant for his arrest on identity theft and bank fraud charges. Bond on the new charges was set at $125,000. Guidry is accused of using a man’s ID to obtain fraudulent …
NORTH CAROLINA
Steps taken with records to prevent ID theft Wilkes Journal Patriot
The N.C. Identity Theft Protection Act, enacted in 2005, says that if a person requests in writing, the person’s Social Security and certain other personal identification numbers must be removed from register of deeds, N.C. secretary of state or court …
TEXAS
El Paso – Identity Theft – It’s no Joke San Saba News & Star
When the first of April comes, you may be on guard to protect yourself from an April Fool’s Day prank. But every day of the year, you should be wary of identity thieves. Identity theft is no joking matter. Identity thieves victimize millions of people …
Houston Texas – LSC-Kingwood to host identity theft presentations Your Houston News
Lone Star College-Kingwood will host a three-part series on a growing problem: identity theft. The Business Department and the Students In Free Enterprise Club invite the community, faculty, staff and students to “Protecting Yourself from Identity …
NATIONAL NEWS
One in five people have errors on their credit report ABC Action News
The Federal Trade Commission found that 80 percent of those who dispute the errors get results. Every consumer should pull a copy of their credit report annually. It’s free at annualcreditreport.com. Then you will want to send the investigative report …
Consumer Reports Got It Dangerously Wrong on Identity Theft Huffington Post
We commissioned a national poll last month which found that nearly 40 percent of Americans believe “identity theft is not a serious problem.” In fact, they said they thought that it’s “a marketing tool or scare tactic for companies selling credit …
Top ID Theft Risks for 2013 BankInfoSecurity.com
A growing number of medical and government identity theft cases, as well as upticks in compromised mobile devices, should be getting industry attention, says Eva Velasquez, head of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a California-based not-for-profit …
Are you an identity theft victim? Do you have credit report errors? Have the credit bureaus “verified” fraudulent information and refused to delete the items from your credit reports? Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), consumers have the right to dispute credit report errors. The credit reporting agencies must block information from appearing in your credit report that is the result of identity theft. The credit bureaus must block the information within 4 business days of receipt of an identity theft report. Federal law gives you the right to sue the credit bureaus if they fail to perform a reasonable investigation or refuse to investigate your credit report disputes.
Contact us for a free case review 24/7 at 1-800-263-9091 and ask for a free sample credit report dispute letter.
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