From U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News: "More States Giving Consumers Power to Freeze Credit Files; Security Freeze Gives Consumers Powerful Protection Against ID Theft"--
After months of news about data security breaches that have put millions of consumers at risk of identity theft, an increasing number of states are enacting laws that give Americans a powerful new tool to help limit the damage of such fraud. Ten states have given consumers the right to put a security freeze on credit files so crooks can't open new accounts using stolen identities. More states are expected to follow suit and a bill extending the security freeze right to consumers nationwide has been introduced in Congress by Senator Mark Pryor.
"One of the biggest headaches that identity theft victims have to deal with is cleaning up the damage done to their credit records when crooks open new accounts in their names," said Susanna Montezemolo, Policy Analyst with Consumers Union's Financial Privacy Now campaign. "A security freeze gives consumers the ability to prevent thieves from ruining their credit records. If access to the consumer's credit files is frozen, the identity thief is stopped cold."
--Posted by T. Evan Schaeffer of the Madison County Illinois mass tort law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.