State of New Jersey - Identity Theft

Identity Theft Banner

Identity theft is a real threat. It occurs when someone obtains credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, bank account information or other pieces of private information and uses them to commit some sort of fraud or deception, usually for financial gain. It is something that New Jersey consumers must guard against. That is why the Identity Theft Prevention Act was drafted and passed by our State Legislature.

I am proud of this legislation and the protections it contains. With these new measures, local law enforcement is now required to take reports on identity theft, which they are not now required to do. Businesses that have customer information stolen must notify those affected. Credit reporting agencies will now have to place a freeze on the accounts of identity theft victims and not allow any release of their information without the direct approval of the credit holder. Businesses will be prohibited from printing one's Social Security Number on any mailed materials or displaying the number in any way. These and other new measures will allow us to better combat these crimes and offer remedies.

Sincerely,
Signature of Richard J Codey
Richard J Codey

Contact your local police immediately.
Contact your credit card companies, creditors, banks, and financial institutions to cancel your accounts.
Notify all of the Credit Reporting Bureaus to put a fraud alert on your credit and obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge to New Jersey Residents under the New Jersey Fair Credit Reporting Act. (of note, the NJFCRA requires 1 free report from each of the 3 credit reporting agencies)

   Equifax - (800) 525-6285
   Experian - (888) 397-3742
   Trans Union - (800) 680-7289
Contact the Federal Trade Commission and Social Security Administration (and if your passport was stolen, the US Department of State).

    Federal Trade Commission -
        (877) 438-4338
    Social Security Administration -
        (800) 269-0271
    US Department of State -
         (202) 955-0430
If your drivers license was stolen, contact the Motor Vehicle Commission's Security and Investigations office at (609) 984-5279 or online at: www.nj.gov/mvc/id_pro.htm

For more information on how to file a complaint and what to do if you are a victim of identity theft, contact the Division of Consumer Affairs at
(800) 242-5846 or online.

Learn how to better protect your private information by contacting the Department of Banking and Insurance at(609) 341-2512 or visit the identity theft prevention web site.

For more information on Identity Theft, read the Attorney General's Identity Theft Information and Assistance page

or the New Jersey State Police's Victim's Reference Guide.

Statewide: njhome | citizen | business | government | services | departments | search

Copyright © State of New Jersey, 2005