Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

The Attorney General's Identity Theft Unit has tools available to help victims of identity theft address their problems, and to help all consumers protect themselves from identity thieves.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country, affecting millions of Americans each year, and Marylanders are not immune. Identity theft is when a thief uses your personal identifying information to open credit accounts in your name or evade criminal liability. Identity thieves can obtain your personal information by:

• Stealing wallets and purses
• Stealing mail
• Completing a “change of address" form to divert your mail to another location
• “Dumpster diving" for documents with personal information
• “Phishing" or sending e-mails that appear to be from legitimate businesses asking for consumer's personal information
• “Skimming" or using special storage devices to steal your credit or debit card number when they process your card
• “Pretexting" or using false pretenses to obtain your information from your bank, phone company, or even you
• Stealing files from businesses where they are a customer or employee, or by hacking into electronic files
  
  

The Identity Theft Unit can give you step-by-step advice on how to protect yourself from identity thieves using, or continuing to use, your personal information. We may also be able to help you address some of the issues that identity theft causes, such as dealing with credit card companies or collection agencies. You may contact the Identity Theft Unit by calling (410) 576-6491 or by sending an e-mail to idtheft@oag.state.md.us.

How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

• A law that took effect January 1, 2013, enables parents and legal guardians to place a security freeze on their minor child's credit records that would prevent identity thieves from opening credit accounts in the child's name. For more information on how to submit freeze requests to each of the three major credit reporting agencies, see our Guide to Freezing your Credit Report Page.
• Review your credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies twice per year. You can stagger them so you are looking at a fresh report every two months. Under Maryland and federal law, you are entitled to two FREE credit reports from each of the credit reporting agencies each year. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 to access your report through the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. You must contact each of the three credit reporting agencies individually to access your credit report under Maryland law:

Equifax: 1-800-685-1111
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion: 1-888-909-8872

• Use passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs) for your credit card, bank, and phone accounts.
• Use a safe to secure personal information in your home.
• Don't carry your Social Security card, bank account PIN, or other sensitive information with you—leave it at home in a secure place.
• Don't give out your Social Security number unless it is absolutely necessary—ask for a randomly generated ID number.
• Don't give out your personal information over the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you initiated the contact or know you can trust the person on the other side.
• Buy a shredder and destroy any documents that contain personal information instead of throwing them away. This includes credit card offers you receive in the mail, bank statements, phone bills, etc.
• Opt-out of pre-approved credit offers by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (567-8688) and junk mail by writing to the direct marketing association at:

Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

• Use a locking mailbox to prevent mail theft.
• Be wary of e-mail scams. If you did not enter an international lottery, it is unlikely that you won anything... If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
  
  

Read more in our comprehensive guide to identity theft.

Identity Theft Passports for Victims

The Identity Theft Unit can issue Identity Theft Passports to consumers who have been impacted by identity theft. The Passport is a tool that may help a consumer resolve financial issues caused by identity theft, and may help prevent a wrongful arrest if a thief uses personal identifying information during the commission of a crime. To obtain a Passport, you must fill out and submit an application to the Identity Theft Unit. It is very important that you include a copy of a police report regarding the crime committed against you, as well as a photocopy of your Maryland Driver's License or other State-issued identification card. We will conduct a background check to verify your identity and the details of the crime, so please include any other supporting documents that you may have. Court documents, financial account statements, or your credit report will be very helpful in speeding up the approval process. Once we determine whether you are eligible for a Passport, we will contact you to provide you with instructions on how to activate your Passport and answer any questions you may have.

You may fill out the Passport application online, or download the Passport application.

Consumer Credit “Security Freezes"

A “security freeze" or “credit freeze" completely blocks the information on your credit report from would-be creditors. A credit freeze can help prevent identity theft. Most businesses will not open credit accounts without first checking a consumer's credit history. If your credit files are frozen, even someone who has your name and Social Security number might not be able to get credit in your name. Everyone is able to freeze and thaw their credit reports for free.

For more information, check out our guide on freezing your credit report.

Helpful Links

The Federal Trade Commission has useful information on its identity theft website (www.identitytheft.gov/).

The Identity Theft Resource Center is a non-profit organization that provides victim support and consumer education (www.idtheftcenter.org/).

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is a non-profit organization specializing in consumer education (www.privacyrights.org).

Contact the Identity Theft Unit

Phone: (410) 576-6491
Fax: (410) 576-6566
E-mail: idtheft@oag.state.md.us
Mail: 200 St. Paul Place, 25th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202