Identity Theft Law: Using Identity Theft Law Information To Protect Yourself From Identity Thieves

Using Identity Theft Law Information To Protect Yourself From Identity Thieves

By Security Editor

Know your rights and what kind of protection the government gives you by studying the two examples of US identity theft law below ...

Over the past few years, each new identity theft law seeks to protect consumers and businesses from what statistics show to be one of the fastest growing crimes in America today. Know your rights and what kind of protection the government gives you by these two examples (one state law, the other federal) of US identity theft law.

Identity Theft Law - State Credit Freeze

Did you know that half the states in America today allow you to freeze your credit report? What can this do? Well, it can stop an identity thief from taking out a credit card under your name.

If your credit report is frozen, three things happen:

1. A credit card company cannot access your files.
2. The company can't perform a credit check.
3. The credit card issuer can't give you a credit rating or score.

This means, no new credit card. Under this identity theft law, the only way to unfreeze your credit report is for you to use your PIN to allow access to your files.

You can exercise your right to a credit freeze by simply requesting it. If you've been a victim of identity theft, there's no charge. If not, there's a small fee – which you're definitely better off paying to avail yourself of the benefits of this identity theft law, rather than facing the consequences if you don't.

Credit freeze laws are already in force in the following states.

California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Hawaii
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Minnesota
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
North Carolina
New York
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Texas
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin

Credit freeze will be available in Utah starting September 2008.

Identity Theft Law - ID Theft & Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998

This is the legislation that outlawed the new crime of identity theft. This cornerstone identity theft law outlaws:

The use or transfer, without having any legal authority, any means of identifying another individual to abet an illegal act that violates local, state, and/or federal laws.

The penalties under this identity theft law are:

15 years in prison, maximum
A fine
And property used or meant to aid the crime will be forfeited

PLUS, the thief may also incur penalties (some sentences are up to 30 years, plus fines, etc.) under EACH of the following federal fraud laws that may have also been violated:

Computer
Credit Card
Financial Institution
Identification
Mail
Wire

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Recommended Identity Theft Protection Resources

Stealing Your Life: The Ultimate Identity Theft Prevention Plan

When Frank Abagnale trains law enforcement officers for the FBI's National Academy about identity theft, he asks agents for their addresses and nothing more. The next day, he returns with everything he would need to steal their lives: Social Security numbers, dates of birth, current salary, checking account numbers, the names of everyone in their family, and more. This illustrates how easy it is for anyone from anywhere in the world to assume our identity and, in a matter of hours, devastate our lives in ways that can take years to recover from. Considering the fact that a fresh victim is hit in the U.S. every four seconds, Stealing Your Life is the reference everyone needs, by an unsurpassed authority on the latest identity-theft schemes.

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