In the Thick of Identity Theft Season, FTC Updates Plan for Victims

The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday unveiled significant updates to IdentityTheft.gov, which the agency hopes will serve as a “one-stop” resource for identity theft victims.

Combatting identity theft, which has been on a dramatic rise, has become a major priority at the FTC, according to Ramirez. “The FTC’s website and DBA’s certification standard are two important components in the on-going fight to stop or minimize a problem that plagues millions of Americans every year”.

From 2014 to 2015, there were 51% more complaints related to tax and wage identity theft, which isn’t all that surprising.

It will also send identity-theft victims follow up emails and a personalized plan for continuing the recovery process.

The improved IdentityTheft.gov offers a slew of new features to help victims navigate the recovery process as easily as possible.

The upgraded website, integrated with the FTC’s consumer complaint system, allows a victim to rapidly file an identity theft complaint and get a personalized recovery guide streamlining the many steps involved, officials say.

Even if the number of identity thefts spiked a year ago, it is now unclear if this is due to an increase in theft events or if just more people have started to report them.

The FTC’s revamped approach to help consumers recover from identity theft could also help expose the problem in more detail.

The perpetrator can use the obtained information to file taxes, receive medical services and apply for credit through fraudulent means.

For instance, if you are a victim of a data breach but aren’t sure yet whether someone has used your personal information, the tool will link you to your free annual credit report to see if there is any unauthorized activity and provides information on how to freeze your report so thieves can’t open new lines of credit under your name.

There’s even a brief video to run you through the process. As the site stands at launch, Ramirez pledges that it will dramatically simplify the response to a stolen identity by providing victims with the itemized list of the steps they need to take after an incident and sharing information with the commission’s law-enforcement partners.