ID THEFT NEWS: WEEKLY UPDATE
Fair Credit Reporting Act Lawyers Help Identity Theft Victims
Over 12 million people an identity theft victim every year. The harmful effects of identity theft are life changing and last a lifetime. Victims may not even know their identity has been stolen until they receive debt collection calls for debts they do not owe. Others may discover they are an identity theft victim when they are denied credit or cannot get a job because of false background check information.
What can consumers do to protect their identities and credit reports? The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) provides federal rights to identity theft victims. For example, identity theft victims have the right to request two (2) free credit reports every 12 months. Also, fraud victims can add a fraud alert (90 day and extended 7 year) to their credit files with Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. Consumers also have the right to dispute credit report errors. Liability is triggered under the FCRA when the credit bureaus receive a dispute from a consumer. The furnisher of the information (i.e., creditor) does not have any civil liability until the credit bureaus notify the furnisher of the dispute. This means consumers should always send their dispute to the credit bureaus.
Once the credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and Trans Union) receive a consumer dispute, they must conduct a reasonable “reinvestigation.” The credit reporting agencies must block fraudulent information in 4 business days if they receive an identity theft report.
Download your free identity theft report 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 attorney’s fees. Micah Adkins represents victims of identity theft in federal court all over the country. Our firm includes lawyers licensed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. We can meet with you in person or by phone for a free consultation.
Here are some of the identity theft stories we are following:
FLORIDA
New Fraud Fighting Program Helps Battle Identity Theft – WJHG.com
WJHG-TV
Florida’s welfare recipients are the latest target of identity thieves stealing from those who need it most. The state says it needs to stop. “For some reason Florida has the highest per capita rate of reported identity theft in the nation,” said David …
GEORGIA
Children at risk for identity theft
Marietta Daily Journal
With summer months approaching, your children may be spending more time online. Between multiplayer online games, social networking sites and the information stored on their mobile devices, your children may be more susceptible to identity theft.
Georgia men plead to million-dollar id theft/fraud scheme
Ville Platte Gazette
Hartfield faces a mandatory two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine, restitution, and three years of supervised release for pleading guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft. A sentencing date has not been set …
NORTH CAROLINA
Greenville, NC
Identity Theft Week: How to protect yourself
WNCT
You hope that you’ll never be a victim of identity theft, but the cold reality is that millions of us are every year. We heard a financial crimes detective say earlier this week that, in his opinion, there is no way to completely protect yourself. Not …
OKLAHOMA
Identity Theft: A Permanent Crime – KXII
KXII-TV
DURANT, OK-The Federal Trade Commission said ten million Americans fall victim to identity theft every year. One of them, a North Texas woman, struggled for months to clean up her credit and her reputation after her personal information was stolen last …
TEXAS
Houston, Texas
Spring man among three charged in stolen identity refund fraud conspiracy
Your Houston News
HOUSTON – Jason Maclaskey, 33, has been charged with conspiracy, theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft related to his participation in a scheme to use stolen identities to file fraudulent tax returns, United States Attorney Kenneth …
Longview, Texas
Ore. authorities: ID theft ring hit 800 mailboxes – The Daily News
Longview Daily News
The Mail Tribune said federal charges of identity theft, fraud and conspiracy have been filed against two men, Eduardo Navarro and Dallas Lee Tedford. The federal arrest warrant names Kayla Ann Strange and Robert Powelson. Additional suspects will …
Lubbock, Texas
California man in Lubbock County jail faces federal false ID charges
LubbockOnline.com
Federal agents on Monday, May 13, arrested a California man on identity theft and other charges in connection with a scheme to steal money from another man’s bank account. Auston Chad Cohen, 29, of Lancaster, Calif., was already in the Lubbock County …
NATIONAL NEWS
Spending: What you need to know about identity theft
Chicago Tribune
About 12.6 million people were victims of identity theft in 2012, an increase of more than one million from the previous year, reports Javelin Strategy & Research. One likely reason: a spike in website data breaches. Javelin found that nearly one in …
Do these stories sound familiar to you? Are you an identity theft victim? Do you have credit report errors? Have you disputed the credit report errors to the credit reporting agencies? Have the credit bureaus “verified” fraudulent information on your credit report and refused to delete the information from your report? We represent identity theft victims in federal court all over the country.
Contact us 24/7 for a free case review at 1-800-263-9091.
The call is free, and so is the consultation.
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