ID THEFT STORIES: WEEKLY UPDATE

Over 12 million consumers a year become victims of identity theft. Consumers often learn they are a fraud victim after receiving a credit denial or call from a debt collector for a debt they do not owe.  Here’s a story about a man who learned he was an identity theft victim when a repo man stopped by to pick up a car he did not own?

Identity theft victims also get turned down for jobs because of arrests, convictions or other public records in a background report.  If they get approved for credit, then they have to pay higher interest rates.  What can consumers do to protect their credit reports and their 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. Also, identity theft victims can place a fraud alert (90 day and extended 7 year) on their credit file.  

Click 2012 FTC Study – TOP CONSUMER COMPLAINTS to download the FTC’s 2012 Report.

Identity theft victims can dispute credit report errors due to fraud, such as accounts, name variations, public records and addresses.  The credit reporting agencies must conduct a reasonable “reinvestigation” of the information disputed by the consumer.  The credit reporting agencies must block in 4 business days fraudulent information that appears in a credit report after they receive an ID Theft Complaint & Affidavit.  If the credit reporting agencies break these rules, 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.  Our lawyers are licensed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. We are regularly admitted on motion in jurisdictions across the country in federal court.  Here are some of the identity theft stories I am following in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas and across the nation.

FLORIDA

South Florida Number One in Identity Theft for Second-Straight Year New Times Broward-Palm Beach (blog)

Ah, identity theft. The scourge of our web-retail purchasing nation and a damned pain in the ass to try to fix. South Florida is the mecca of identity theft. Because, of course it is! And now, for the second straight year, we’ve got a monkey-fisted …

Tell Mel: Identity theft costly in Florida The News-Press

The 2012 report on fraud and identity theft was released by the Federal Trade Commission and Florida took first place in both categories with 693.5 complaints of fraud for every 100,000 people and 361.3 complaints of identity theft for every 100,000 in …

Orlando – Occupational Therapist Impersonator Sentenced to Prison for Mail Fraud and … 7thSpace Interactive (press release)

ORLANDO—United States District Judge Roy Dalton sentenced James Lewis, a/k/a James Lee Lewis (44, Kissimmee), today to five years and five months in federal prison for mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. Lewis pleaded guilty on December 18, …

GEORGIA

Identity theft victim struggles to renew his license WALB-TV

The State of Georgia ranked 2nd in the nation last year in the rate of identity theft complaints. If you’ve ever been a victim, you know how aggravating it can be. One Thomas County identity theft victim is having a heck of a time just trying to renew …

Atlanta – Identity theft complicates tax returns WSB Radio

“Why isn’t this information secure?” At least 30 families are affected, according to police. There may be more victims who have not yet reported the identity theft to police because they have not yet tried to file their 2012 tax returns. At least three …

LOUISIANA

ID theft in LA jumps 37% WWL First News

Identity theft has become a fast-growing crime in the state of Louisiana, according to the Federal Trade Commission — up 37 percent in 2012. And experts tell us ID thieves are finding new ways to scam money in your name. A potential victim for …

How to check your credit report for accuracy WAFB.com

Once disputed, these mistakes were corrected. As a result, credit scores improved. But if these consumers had not checked their reports, the misinformation could have plagued them for life. A credit report is a detailed listing of your entire debt …

TEXAS

Dallas – Disputing errors on credit reports must be done right Dallas Morning News

Experts at Credit Sesame, an online personal finance tool, say it’s also important that your dispute be specific and “clearly written in a way that a layman would understand it.  ‘I disagree with my credit report’ is not a dispute. ‘I was never late on …

NATIONAL NEWS

12.6 Million Reasons Why Identity Theft Matters Huffington Post

If you still believe identity theft is a marketing gimmick, it’s time to take a look at the Federal Trade Commission report released this week. Identity theft is once again the top complaint in America, as it has been for 13 years. Identity theft …

IRS seeing spike in identity theft cases Tucson News Now

Tax time is around the corner, and the Internal Revenue Service says it has seen a “huge spike” in cases of identity theft. IRS special agent Brian Watson says people are stealing social security numbers and other identifiers from people, filing …

Corporate data loss hits highest levels since 2008

(HelpNet Security, 2/27/13) Recent incidents of corporate data loss hit the highest levels since 2008 as companies work to improve data security strategies against a greater variety of more sophisticated IT attacks that can pose severe enterprise and reputational risks.

Data loss attacks affected more than one billion people in the last five years and more than 60 percent of those incidents were the result of hacking, says The Data Loss Barometer report from KPMG that analyzed incidents since 2005 across industries, types of data loss and global regions. According to the report, data loss threats have risen substantially with the use of mobile devices for business purposes and personally identifiable information continues to be the top data loss type. Depending on the type of data loss, an incident can be a major risk to a company’s revenue or reputation. FULL STORY

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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