Attorney General Salazar and Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter Announce Internet Help With Identity Theft Issues

Denver—Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar and Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter today announced the creation of new resources to help consumers on the issue of identity theft. Salazar's office has created a new webpage, found at www.ago.state.co.us, to provide comprehensive information on how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft and practical steps about what to do if you become a victim.

Identity theft is a major and growing concern in Colorado and nationally. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which maintains a nationwide database of ID theft complaints available to law enforcement, in 2002 Colorado ranked 11th nationally in the number of identity theft victims per population.

The Federal Trade Commission released a survey in September 2003 showing that 27.3 million Americans have been victims of identity theft in the last five years, including 9.9 million people in the last year alone. According to the survey, last year's identity theft losses to businesses and financial institutions totaled nearly $48 billion and consumer victims reported $5 billion in out-of-pocket expenses.

"Every day in Colorado, honest, hardworking citizens awake to the distressing realization that some unscrupulous persons have stolen their identities and, while impersonating them, have run up extensive debts," said Attorney General Salazar. "With the advent of the computer age and associated technological advances, it has unfortunately become easier for criminals to steal the identities of decent citizens and use those identities to defraud merchants and financial institutions. I have seen many times when criminals are caught, they have dozens of fake checks and false identifications in their possession."

"Our first goal is to make it tough for criminals to steal a person's identity in the first place by getting specific prevention tips to citizens. Despite the best protection, if a person's identity is stolen, our goal is to quickly and aggressively act on behalf of the victim. Quick action and accurate information are two of our best weapons," said Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter.

A key feature of the Colorado Attorney General's Identity Theft Website is help for victims of identity theft. This section offers step-by-step guidance to victims of identity theft, including a searchable database to help consumers locate the law enforcement agency in their community should they need to file an identity theft report. Other sections of the website include:

• Information and assistance for law enforcement
• Information for businesses
• Prevention tips
• Colorado and federal statutes relating to identity theft
• Who can require social security numbers
• How you can protect yourself from identity theft on the Internet.

According to the FTC survey results, 52 percent of all ID theft victims discovered they were victims of identity theft by monitoring their accounts. Another 26 percent reported that they were alerted to suspicious account activity by companies such as credit card issuers or banks. Eight percent reported that they first learned when they applied for credit and were turned down.