Call to Action: New York Consumers Must Freeze Credit Reports to Safeguard
Personal Information
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- As three new laws become
active Wednesday in the state of New York, residents will gain new powers
to proactively safeguard themselves and family members against identity
theft. New rights will allow New Yorkers to regularly "freeze" and
"unfreeze" credit reports, prohibit online solicitation of personal
information and prohibit companies from improperly disposing of customer
and employee information.
A credit freeze bars lenders and others from reviewing an individual's
credit history. As most lenders do not issue credit or loans without first
seeing one or more credit reports, identity thieves can not open fraudulent
accounts using the identity of someone who has frozen their credit reports.
"Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the country and in the
state of New York with no signs of slowing down. However, today's
legislation and technology are finally catching up with the identity
thieves to protect potential victims," said Scott Mitic, national expert on
identity theft and chief executive officer of TrustedID. "With these new
laws, consumers now have greater control over their personal information,
including the ability to freeze credit reports ultimately thwarting any
identity theft attempts."
By locking credit reports, consumers are able to receive the highest
level of protection against identity theft, prevent the sale of personal
information from a credit report and ensure the strongest privacy possible
for personal financial information. In addition, consumers can elect to
unlock credit reports when needed.
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the country. According
to a recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) survey, New York has the highest
number of identity theft victims in comparison to other states. In
addition, New York ranked 8th among states in the number of identity theft
crime complaints.
In support of New York's identity protection laws, TrustedID, a leading
provider of identity management and protection solutions, is offering New
York residents 20 percent off its flagship service, IDFreeze. The one-stop
service gives New Yorkers a range of protection services, including lender
double checks before credit or loans are issued, credit freezes across all
three credit bureaus, opt outs from pre-approved credit offers, Internet
monitoring for compromised personal information and $25,000 in identity
theft insurance. Consumers must mention promotion code "NYC" when signing
up online at http://www.trustedid.com .
About New York Identity Protection Laws (Active November 1, 2006)
*The Security Freeze Law: Allows consumers, who are either identity theft
victims or are concerned that they might be at risk of having their
identities stolen, to cut off an identity thief's access to credit,
loans, leases, goods and services by placing a "freeze" on their consumer
credit report.
*The Disposal of Personal Records Law: Requires any business to properly
dispose of records containing personal information or risk a civil
penalty of up to $5,000.
*The Anti-Phishing Act of 2006: Prohibits the deceptive solicitation of
personal information through electronic communications, including sending
e-mails to Internet users, falsely claiming to be a legitimate enterprise
in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information.
About TrustedID
TrustedID, Inc., a leading provider of identity management and
protection solutions, was founded in 2005 with the mission of giving
individuals control over their personal information and who has access to
that information.
The company's services give Americans the means to proactively protect
themselves against the country's fastest growing crime, identity theft.
TrustedID's solutions, including credit report controls requiring a
double-check before credit is issued in an individuals name, identity
restoration services and identity theft insurance, are available to
consumers through the nation's leading financial institutions and consumer
brands, as well as directly through TrustedID's website,
http://www.trustedid.com .
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