ALABAMA RANKS NO. 15 FOR ID THEFT

The Federal Trade Commission ranked Alabama No. 15 IN 2010 last year.  In 2009, Alabama ranked 17.  The FTC maintains a database called the Consumer Sentinel Network and lists identity theft and fraud complaints. The FTC received 3,339 identity theft complaints from residents of Alabama last year.

What state scored number 1 in the complaints for identity theft?  Florida ranked number one in the incidence of identity theft with 21,581 identity theft complaints!  The FTC report didn’t say how much money residents of Alabama lost from identity theft in 2010.  Overall, identity theft victims across the US lost over $13 million to identity thieves. 

How do Alabama cities rank for identity theft?  Montgomery is the highest ranked city in Alabama for identity theft at 22 and Dothan is not too far behind at 25.  The Birmingham area, including Hoover, accounted for 928 complaints and ranked nationally at 130.  Mobile ranked 168 and Huntsville ranked 192.

The FTC report showed a rise in tax return theft, included in the government documents and benefits fraud sector. The rise of false tax returns can be attributed to the increase in the use of fraudulent documents and stolen Social Security numbers used for employment purposes.  In fact, fraudulent government documents and benefits fraud accounted for the largest source of identity theft in Alabama.

So what can you do to protect your identity in Alabama?  Contact identity theft prosecutor Micah Adkins for a free information kit and learn how to protect your personal information and how to get a free credit report.

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