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ITS Consumer Resource Information
Listed below is general information that is accessible to everyone who is either attempting to protect or resolve matters related to their identity. Numerous public and private sector agencies and companies have information that can assist you in aspects of identity theft. If your concern relates to the following categories, contact the agency directly for help and information. Follow the steps on the individual web pages to get your information.

Consumer Rights and General Information
Federal government and many states have passed numerous laws that address the problem of identity theft and credit reporting policies. Below is information on related Federal Acts and your rights and what to do to clear up credit problems that result from identity theft.

Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act enacted by Congress in 1998 (and codified, in part, at 18 U.S.C. s 1028) is the federal law directed at identity theft. Under this Act, it is a federal crime when someone "knowingly transfers or uses, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aide or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable state or local law." It is important to note that under this Act, a name or Social Security Number (SSN) is considered as a method of identification." So is a credit card number, cellular telephone electronic serial number or any other piece of information that may be used alone or in conjunction with other information to identify a specific individual. Most states have also passed laws related to identity theft and others may be considering such legislation. Contact your State Attorney General's Office or your local consumer protection agency for more information.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) was established to institute procedures for correcting credit report errors and billing errors, and for stopping debt collectors from contacting you for debts you did not incur or owe. Under the FCRA, both the credit bureau and the organization that provided the information to the credit bureau (the information provider), such as a credit card company or bank, are responsible for correcting inaccurate or incomplete information in your report. To act on your rights under the law, you must contact both the credit bureau and the information provider. If you request a CRA must give you the information in your file, and a list of everyone who has recently requested the information. If you have requested the information supplied to a creditor in dispute with you over an outstanding bill due to this crime, there is no charge for the report. You are also entitled to a free credit report every twelve months if your report is inaccurate due to fraud. The average cost for a credit report is just between $8-15.

The Truth in Lending Act limits your liability for unauthorized credit card charges in most cases to $50 per card. The Fair Credit Billing Act establishes procedures for resolving billing errors on your credit card accounts. The Act specifically includes settlement procedures that apply to disputes about billing errors. This also includes fraudulent charges on your accounts.

The Fair Debt Collectors Practices Act forbids debt collectors from using unfair or deceptive practices to collect overdue bills that a creditor has forwarded to a collection agency for past or overdue payments. You can significantly reduce or stop a debt collector form contacting you by writing a letter to the collection agency telling them to stop their persistent calling to collect debts that you do not owe. Write them a certified letter, once received by the collector the company may not contact your again. There are two exceptions to this rule: they may contact you to tell you their will be no further contact and they can tell you that the debt collector or creditor will be taking some specific action. Be sure to send copies of documents that support your claims include any copies of police reports (Do Not Send Originals).

The Electronic Fund Transfer Act provides consumer protections for transactions that involve an ATM or debit card or other electronic way to debit or credit an account. It is import report stolen of lost ATM or debit cards immediately because the amount you can be held responsible for depends on how quickly you report the loss to your bank or financial institution. The quicker you report any loss the better off you will in terms of lessening your financial losses due to the crime.