Identity Theft Fraud
Investigation and Lawsuits

Almost 20 per cent of US consumers have fallen victim to identity theft, and younger adults are at greatest risk, according to an Experian-Gallup Personal Credit Index published August 4, 2005. Roughly 25% of American consumers under 30 have had their financial information stolen, the study found.

Identity theft is rampant and the problem is growing worse -- in recent months there have been numerous reports about breaches, break-ins and improper disclosures at large corporations , resulting in release of secret personal identity data and financial information. Suddenly things seem out of control: instead of losing our identities one by one, we're seeing criminals grabbing them in massive chunks -- literally millions at a time.

What Is Identity Theft?

Identity theft occurs when someone takes your personal information such as your name, Social Security number, credit card number or other identifying information, without your permission to commit fraud, theft or other crimes.

Identity theft is a very serious crime. People whose identities have been stolen can end up spending months or years -- and significant amounts of money -- cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit record.
And despite efforts at cleanup, in the meantime victims may lose job opportunities, be refused loans, education, housing or cars, or even be arrested and incarcerated for crimes they did not commit.

Do you suspect that a large corporation has released your private information (through an accident or otherwise)? If you are one of many thousands whose confidential information was compromised, you may have a viable class action case against that company. Contact an attorney at the national plaintiffs' law firm of Lieff Cabraser to discuss your case. Lieff Cabraser defends Americans harmed by corporate wrongdoing.

What Do I Do If I've Had My Identity Stolen?

If you think your identity has been stolen from a large corporate database, here's what to do now (some of the following information was provided by the Federal Trade Commission):

Contact an identity theft attorney at Lieff Cabraser about your situation by clicking here. Lieff Cabraser handles large class action cases against corporations that engage in irresponsible behavior that harms consumers and/or employees. There is no charge or obligation for our review of your case.
Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit file. The fraud alert requests creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. As soon as the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will be automatically notified to place fraud alerts. Once the alert is placed, you may order a free copy of your credit report from all three major credit bureaus.
Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Use the ID Theft Affidavit when disputing new unauthorized accounts.
File a police report. Get a copy of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.
File a complaint with the FTC. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. Filing a complaint also helps us learn more about identity theft and the problems victims are having so that we can better assist you as well as other potential id fraud and id theft victims.
For California consumers, further information is available online at California's Office of Privacy Protection, http://www.privacy.ca.gov/.

Further Information | Contact a Lawyer About Identity Theft

Contact an identity theft attorney at Lieff Cabraser about your situation by clicking here. There is no charge or obligation for our review of your case. Also, feel free to visit the Federal Trade Commission's information page "Fighting Back Against Identity Theft."

Identity Theft Fraud Investigation and Lawsuits

Identity Theft Fraud
Investigation and Lawsuits