NEWARK – Identity theft, a crime that victimized nearly 10 million Americans in 2003, is the focus of National Consumer Protection Week, February 6 - 12, Attorney General Peter C. Harvey and Acting Consumer Affairs Director Jeffrey Burstein announced.

The Attorney General's Office and the Division of Consumer Affairs are joining with agencies across the U.S. to raise awareness about identity theft and educate people about precautions they can take to better protect their personal information. The theme of the 7th Annual National Consumer Protection Week is "Identity Theft: When Fact Becomes Fiction."

"In 2003, individuals lost $5 billion dollars and businesses were defrauded of more than $45 billion through this crime of identity theft," Attorney General Harvey said. "Beyond the financial losses, victims suffer emotional trauma because their credit history is damaged and privacy is invaded. We are taking significant action to protect the public from identity theft."

Attorney General Harvey noted that his office wrote a new state law that offers the best protections available in the United States for victims of identity theft. The law upgrades criminal penalties for identity theft and allows any victim to obtain a court order directing consumer reporting agencies to delete his or her record of bad credit created by the identity theft. The law also provides a civil remedy for victims of identity theft to recover damages up to three times the amount of their costs, including attorney's fees, court costs and out-of-pocket losses.

A new public service announcement in which Attorney General Harvey warns residents about identity theft and common scams used to steal personal information is airing on New Jersey radio stations this month.

Both low-tech and high-tech means are being used to steal personal information.

"The Internet has become a prime ground for identity theft through scams know as ‘phishing,'" Acting Director Burstein said. "Beware of official-looking emails that ask for your account information to clear up an alleged billing problem. They may very well be a scam to gain access to your money and drain your account dry."
Stealing credit card receipts from shopping bags and taking unshredded account statements from the garbage are among the low-tech methods still used by thieves.

Consumers can lessen the chance of identity theft by:

• Not clicking on links contained in e-mails that claim to be from banks or credit card companies and that ask for account information. Instead, call your bank or credit card company or type in the real Web address if known;

• Entering your credit card information for Internet purchases only after ensuring that the website is valid and that it utilizes security measures to protect credit card information;

• Promptly reviewing your monthly bank and credit card statements and reporting any unauthorized transactions;

• Shredding or tearing up bank and credit card statements before disposing of them;

• Protecting credit card receipts by putting them in your pocket after making a purchase; and

• Not giving bank or credit card information to unknown callers, including callers claiming to represent a charity. Instead, ask for the charity to mail you information on the organization and how to submit a check.

If you are a victim of identity theft:

• Report the crime to your local police department;

• Contact the bank or store if the theft involves charges to your account; and

• Contact the three credit bureaus listed below to report the fraud and protect your credit rating:

Equifax
800-525-6285

Experian
888-397-3742

Trans Union
800-680-7289

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