ITAC, the Identity Theft Assistance Center, Helps 100,000th Consumer Recover From Identity Theft

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ITAC, the Identity Theft Assistance Center, today announced that it helped its 100,000th consumer recover from identity theft using the free ITAC Victim Assistance® service, calling it a milestone in consumer protection.

The 100,000th victim, Jo Loi from Lakeville, Conn., was referred to ITAC by her credit card issuer, Capital One. "I was so relieved to know there was somebody on my side in this," she said. Capital One alerted Ms. Loi about a questionable overseas charge, cancelled her credit card, and then transferred her to an ITAC agent who reviewed her credit bureau reports and helped her place fraud alerts with the bureaus.    

At a Capitol Hill reception marking the occasion, ITAC was recognized as an outstanding cooperative model of business and law enforcement working together to resolve this complex crime by members of congress and law enforcement.

ITAC is a nonprofit supported by financial services companies as a free service for their customers. The ITAC member refers the customers directly to ITAC's Assistance Center, where an ITAC agent reviews the customer's credit bureau report to detect additional fraud and connects the consumer to the company where, for example, new account fraud or account take-over may have occurred. 

Using reports from the three major credit reporting agencies, ITAC helps consumers detect additional fraud perpetrated by the identity criminal. ITAC then shares information about the identity theft crime with the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Postal Inspection Service to help federal and state law enforcement investigate and prosecute identity crime. 

Today, ITAC announced a new collaboration with the National Identity Theft Victims Assistance Networks Project, a national initiative to expand the outreach and capacity of victim service programs to better address the rights and needs of victims of identity theft nationwide.  In April, ITAC member Bank of the West and financial literacy advocacy nonprofit, Operation HOPE, will hold an identity theft awareness event in Oakland, Calif.

"Identity crime can be a devastating experience," said ITAC President Anne Wallace.  "ITAC member companies are protecting consumers from identity theft and helping them recover. We are constantly looking for ways to reach more of the people who need our help."

About ITAC

ITAC, the Identity Theft Assistance Center (www.identitytheftassistance.org), is the national advocate for identity theft victims and a leading voice on identity policy.  Millions of consumers have access to the ITAC victim assistance service through our members – the financial services companies who support ITAC and offer it as a free service for their customers.  ITAC is dedicated to protecting all consumers through education, research and the criminal prosecution of identity crime.  Through our partnership with Intersections Inc., ITAC's world-class victim assistance and identity management service is available to everyone through ITAC Sentinel® (www.itacsentinel.com).

Contact: Kate Ennis [email protected] /301-580-6726

SOURCE Identity Theft Assistance Center