Delaware News

CREDIT REPORT SECURITY FREEZES BECOME EFFECTIVE

Consumer Protection | Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Friday, September 22, 2006



(Wilmington, DE): Attorney General Carl C. Danberg announced today that Delaware’s Clean
Credit and Identity Theft Prevention Act will go into effect on September 29, 2006. This new law will go
far to protect consumers from becoming victims of identity theft and to help consumers who have been victimized.
The new Act allows all consumers to place security freezes on their credit reports regardless of
whether they have been victimized by an identity thief. Consumers can place a security freeze by
notifying the three major consumer reporting agencies by mail. Contact information for the consumer
reporting agencies is available by calling the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at 800-220- 5424 or on the Attorney General’s website at www.state.de.us/attgen.
A security freeze prohibits the agencies from releasing all or any part of the consumer’s credit
report without the express authorization of the consumer. This will prevent an identity thief from using
any stolen personal information to open unauthorized accounts. Consumers will be able to lift or “thaw”
the freeze through a personal identification number or password. Each agency may charge a
consumer $20 for the personal identification number or password. However, victims of identity theft will
not be charged any fee for placement of a security freeze.
The new law also requires the police agency with jurisdiction over the consumer’s actual
residence to take a report from a consumer who knows or reasonably believes that he or she has been
the victim of identity theft. The person making the complaint must be given a copy of the police report
which is important as creditors often require a copy of the police report or the complaint number to
verify a consumer’s representation that a thief is responsible for charges made in the consumer’s
name.
# # #

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CREDIT REPORT SECURITY FREEZES BECOME EFFECTIVE

Consumer Protection | Criminal Division | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Friday, September 22, 2006



(Wilmington, DE): Attorney General Carl C. Danberg announced today that Delaware’s Clean
Credit and Identity Theft Prevention Act will go into effect on September 29, 2006. This new law will go
far to protect consumers from becoming victims of identity theft and to help consumers who have been victimized.
The new Act allows all consumers to place security freezes on their credit reports regardless of
whether they have been victimized by an identity thief. Consumers can place a security freeze by
notifying the three major consumer reporting agencies by mail. Contact information for the consumer
reporting agencies is available by calling the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at 800-220- 5424 or on the Attorney General’s website at www.state.de.us/attgen.
A security freeze prohibits the agencies from releasing all or any part of the consumer’s credit
report without the express authorization of the consumer. This will prevent an identity thief from using
any stolen personal information to open unauthorized accounts. Consumers will be able to lift or “thaw”
the freeze through a personal identification number or password. Each agency may charge a
consumer $20 for the personal identification number or password. However, victims of identity theft will
not be charged any fee for placement of a security freeze.
The new law also requires the police agency with jurisdiction over the consumer’s actual
residence to take a report from a consumer who knows or reasonably believes that he or she has been
the victim of identity theft. The person making the complaint must be given a copy of the police report
which is important as creditors often require a copy of the police report or the complaint number to
verify a consumer’s representation that a thief is responsible for charges made in the consumer’s
name.
# # #

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.