« Ind. Decisions - Court of Appeals issues 1 today (and 13 NFP) | Main | Courts - "Growing Presence in the Courtroom: Cellphone Data as Witness" »
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Ind. Law - "Attorney General Zoeller, Marion County Prosecutor Brizzi warn of ID Theft"
From a release dated July 7 from Attorney General Gregg Zoeller:
INDIANAPOLIS - With identity theft among the fastest growing crimes in the state, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced a concerted effort to combat identity theft. Joined by Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, Zoeller alerted Hoosiers to several improved ways for consumers to protect their good name and credit rating.“With the downturn in the economy, criminals have become relentless in their efforts to steal the identities of consumers and fraudulently open lines of credit,” Zoeller said. “Identity theft is devastating to victims and can take months or years to untangle. Today we launch a new effort to attack identity theft.”
“In the past, our response to identity theft has been limited because the law had not caught up to this new form of digital victimization. With these new tools at our disposal, our offices will better be able to protect the citizens of Marion County and the State of Indiana from the serious threat of identity theft,” Brizzi said.
Zoeller and Brizzi today discussed a new effort to assist identity-theft victims while educating other consumers on how to avoid becoming victims in the first place.
“One of the most important protections is the security freeze, where consumers can go to our web site, sign up and prevent anyone from fraudulently obtaining credit in their name. The security freeze is tied to all three major credit-reporting bureaus. And, if the consumer wants to apply for a new line of credit, they can go back to the web site, lift the freeze temporarily, and then seal the lid of protection again,” Zoeller said.
To train attorneys on the legal ramifications of dealing with identity theft, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office is holding a series of CLE (Continuing Legal Education) classes on ID theft. Registration for the first CLE session, July 15, already is full, but others will be offered soon and will be open to lawyers and non-lawyers alike. Professionals who work with the public - such as law enforcement officers, retail merchants, social services workers, assisted-living facilities managers and clergy - may find the course of benefit.
This CLE training offered by the Attorney General’s office will cast a wide net in training professionals who will be the first line of defense in preventing identity theft,” Zoeller said. “Our office has found that the Hispanic community often is hit especially hard by identity thieves.”
The effort comes as Indiana’s new identity-theft protection law, House Enrolled Act 1121, took effect last week. The new law boosts protections for consumers and creates new rights for victims, while giving local and state authorities more powerful tools to crack down on identity thieves. * * *
For more information about preventing identity theft and the details of the new law, consumers can visit www.indianaconsumer.com/idtheft. * * *
Video of today’s news conference will be posted on the Attorney General’s web site. Dates for upcoming CLE training courses on identity-theft prevention offered by the Attorney General’s office will be announced soon.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 8, 2009 10:16 AM
Posted to Indiana Law