Identity Theft Assistance Center Hits Milestone:

The Identity Theft Assistance Center (ITAC), helped its 50,000th consumer in January. ITAC’s victim assistance service – which helps consumers recover from identity theft – is available at no cost to the millions of consumers who have an account at an ITAC member company.

“Consumers are facing hardships right now but identity theft doesn’t have to be one of them,” said ITAC President Anne Wallace. “The companies who belong to ITAC want you to know that we’re here to help.”

The 50,000th customer was 45-year-old doctor from Virginia who left his credit card at a gas station. The incident resulted in account takeover – when account information is used by the criminal without the account holder’s knowledge. Bank of America referred the case to ITAC, where a trained agent alerted the doctor to other suspicious activity.

“We listened to our customers in designing the ITAC service. They wanted to talk to a real person, someone who understands identity theft and cares about them, and that’s what ITAC does,” said ITAC board member Jean Fichtel, Senior Vice President, US Bank.

As part of its mission, ITAC shares victim data with the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and other law enforcement agencies to help them investigate and prosecute identity crime.

To find a list of ITAC members, go to www.identitytheftassistance.org. Consumers who do not have an account with an ITAC member can still access ITAC’s victim assistance – and comprehensive tools to protect their identity – through ITAC Sentinel®. Learn more at www.itacsentinel.com.

Source:  The Identity Theft Assistance Center