Indianapolis, IN – In 2008, 10 million Americans fell victim to identity theft fraud at an estimated cost of more than $48 Billion. Victims represented all aspects of American society, from low-income families to the Federal Reserve Board Chairman. There have been breaches of secure information in nearly every sector of the business community. In other words, anyone can be affected by identity theft, and everyone is at risk.
As the number one complaint to the FTC for the last six years running, identity theft saw a nearly twenty percent (20%) increase in 2008 over the previous year. Because of the rising numbers and increasing victimization, MOMENTIVE® Consumer Credit Counseling Service (Momentive), in partnership with the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), is working to help consumers defend themselves against identity theft.
National Protect Your Identity Week will take place from October 18-24, 2009 and provide Indiana with the opportunity to focus on this consistently growing and often financially devastating crime.
The week will kick off on Monday, October 19th, at the English Foundation Building, 615 N. Alabama St. Momentive will have a secure mobile document shred truck available, provided by Cintas, for consumers to drop off their documents with personal information to be securely disposed of. Officials and representatives from the Office of the Mayor of Indianapolis, the Indiana Attorney General, and the Indiana Secretary of State will be on hand to discuss how they are supporting and protecting consumers throughout Indiana. The Mayor of Indianapolis, Greg Ballard will proclaim the week National Protect Your Identity week in Indianapolis.
Throughout the week, Momentive will also provide free credit report reviews to consumers. The public is welcomed to walk-in or make an appointment to receive a free copy of their credit report with FICO score. Not only will consumers receive a free credit report with score, they will also have the opportunity to review it with a trained NFCC Certified Counselor. During the review consumers will receive tips and guidance on cleaning up their report, raising their score, and avoiding identity theft.
Momentive will also provide educational presentations at various local community service organizations, including the John H. Boner Community Center, in order to teach consumers about ways to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.
“Prevention is the best answer to this growing problem”, said Kathryn Perron, President of Momentive. “The average victim’s loss per identity theft incident is $4,849, but more than that, the victim of identity theft will spend an average of 600 hours resolving the issues related to the crime.”
“By organizing National Protect Your Identity Week locally, we hope to bring awareness and provide resources to the consumers of Indiana. Our goal is to provide consumers of all economic levels the information and resources they need to protect themselves from becoming a victim of this preventable crime.”
For more information, visit www.momentive.org.
