OnGuardOnline.gov provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.

Consumer and Professional Organizations

AARP

Better Business Bureau

Call for Action

Identity Theft Resource Center

National Consumers' League (National Fraud Information Center)

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse


Consumer Reporting Companies

Equifax

Experian

TransUnion


Federal Government

Federal Trade Commission

Department of the Treasury
• Identity Theft Resource Page
• DVD on Identity Theft

Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
• Check Fraud: A Guide to Avoiding Losses
• How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft (PDF, 148 KB)
• Identity Theft and Pretext Calling Advisory Letter 20014 (PDF, 260 KB)

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
• Classic Cons... And How to Counter Them
• A Crook Has Drained Your Account. Who Pays?
• Don't Be an On-line Victim: How to Guard Against Internet Thieves and
Electronic Scams
• Your Wallet: A Loser's Manual

Secret Service (USSS)
• Financial Crimes Division
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Protecting Yourself

Social Security Administration
• SSA Fraud Hotline for Reporting Fraud
• Social Security: Your Number and Card (SSA Pub. No. 0510002)
• Identity Theft And Your Social Security Number (SSA Pub. No. 0510064)

US Department of Justice
• Identity Theft and Fraud

US Postal Inspection Service


State and Local Government

National Association of Attorneys General

National Conference of State Legislatures

• Identity Theft Fact Sheets

• Other Identity Theft Publications

• Identity Theft Quizzes

• Victims' Stories and Hotline Cases

• Other Identity Theft Sites

• Fact Sheet 17: Coping with Identity Theft: Reducing Your Risk of Fraud
   
• Fact Sheet 17(a): Identity Theft: What to Do When it Happens to You -- A Guide for Victims

• Fact Sheet 17(b): How to Deal with a Security Breach
   
• Fact Sheet 17(g): Criminal Identity Theft
   
• Fact Sheet 6(a): FACTA, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act:
  Consumers Win Some, Lose Some (Includes FACTA updates to the FCRA that apply to identity theft)
   
• Fact Sheet 27: Debt Collection Practices: When Hardball Tactics Go Too Far
   
• Fact Sheets from the Identity Theft Resource Center
  The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse works closely with the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). Its web site, www.idtheftcenter.org, offers numerous resources for victims of identity theft as well as those who are working to prevent the crime. To access their victim guides and fact sheets go to www.idtheftcenter.org/vguides.shtml.

Other PRC Identity Theft Publications, Speeches, and Testimony.     

Identity Theft Quizzes

• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Quiz: Identity Theft IQ Test
   
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Quiz: Identity Theft IQ Test -- Interactive Version
   
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Quiz: Workplace Identity Theft IQ Test

• OnGuard-Online Identity Theft Quiz
   
• MailFrontier's Phishing IQ Test

• Better Business Bureau Identity Theft Quiz (also available in Spanish)

• Looks Too Good to be True (Fraud Risk Tests)

Other Publications

• How Many Identity Theft Victims Are There? What is the Impact? Summary of Survey Findings -- Updated January 2006

• Comments Regarding Federal Trade Commission Proposal to Continue to Conduct Surveys of the Public on Identity Theft -- December 2005

• Alert: Popular Online Investing Attracts Identity Thieves and Phishing Scams -- November 2005

• A Chronology of Data Breaches Reported Since the ChoicePoint Incident -- Updated January 2006

• Prevent Identity Theft with Responsible Information-Handling Practices in the Workplace -- Updated January 2006

• Alert: The FTC's Document Disposal Rule: Does it Apply to You? -- June 2003
  
  
• Privacy Groups Urge the Federal Reserve Board to Protect Consumers from Identity Theft and Stolen Convenience Checks -- March 2005
  
  
• Criminal Identity Theft in California -- Presentation at CA's Identity Theft Summit -- March 2005
  
  
• Alert: Phishing Emails Can Lead to Domain Registration for Scam Web Sites -- November 2004
  
  
• Document Disposal Rules (FACTA): Comments to FDIC -- July 2004
  
  
• Document Disposal Rules (FACTA): Comments to NCUA -- July 2004
  
  
• Document Disposal Rules (FACTA): Comments to FTC -- June 2004
  
  
• The Saga of Shredding in the U.S.: Presentation at the National Association for Information Destruction Conference -- May 2004
  
  
• Prevent Identity Theft with Responsible Information-Handling Practices in the Workplace -- March 2004
  
  
• Prevent Identity Theft with Responsible Information-Handling Practices in the Workplace -- Testimony to San Diego County Supervisors -- December 2003
  
  
• Comments to Federal Agencies regarding Security Breach Notification by Financial Companies -- October 2003
  
  
• California Identity Theft Laws -- August 2003
  
  
• Alert: Watch Out for "Phishing" Emails Attempting to Capture Your Personal Information -- July 2003
  
  
• Identity Theft: How It Happens, Its Impact on Victims, & Legislative Solutions (U.S. Senate Testimony) -- July 2000
  
  
• Identity Theft: The Growing Problem of Wrongful Criminal Records -- June 2000
   
• "Nowhere to Turn: Victims Speak Out on Identity Theft," report by CALPIRG & PRC -- May 2000
   
• Preventing Identity Theft: Industry Practices Are the Key - National Summit on Identity Theft -- March 2000

Victims' Stories and Hotline Cases     

• Identity Theft Victims' Stories
   
• Cases 2004-2005
  
  
• Cases 2003-2004
  
  
• Cases 1996-1997
   
• Cases 1995-1996
   
• Cases 1994-1995

Other Identity Theft Sites    

• AARP, Preventing Identity Theft Seminar- www.aarp.org/learntech/personal_finance/identity_theft_intro.html

• CALPIRG -- http://calpirg.org/CA.asp?id2=9025&id3=CA&id4=CAFS&
  
  
• CU/PIRG State Model Id Theft Law -
  www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_financial_services/001732.html
  www.uspirg.org/consumer/archives/PIRGCUCleanActnov05.pdf

• Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Fraud Complaint Center - www.ic3.gov
  
  
• Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Information - www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
  
  
• Fight Identity Theft - www.fightidentitytheft.com
  
  
• Georgia Stop Identity Theft Site - www.stopidentitytheft.org
  
  
• ID Theft Awareness ("The real" Danny Lents, victim & activist) - www.idtheftawareness.com/
  
  
• Identity Theft, Univ. of Michigan site - http://identityweb.umich.edu

• Identity Theft Secrets (Jonathan Kraft) - www.identitytheftsecrets.com (includes demo. of phishing)
  
  
• Identity Theft Summit Sponsored by Calif. Governor and Office of Privacy Protection - www.IDTheftSummit.ca.gov
  
  
• Law Library Exchange Identity - Identity Theft Resource Guide -
  www.llrx.com/features/idtheft.htm
  
  
• Mari Frank's Identity Theft Prevention and Survival Tools - www.identitytheft.org

• Medical Identity Theft, World Privacy Forum -
  www.worldprivacyforum.org/medicalidentitytheft.html
  
  
• Michigan State Univ. Identity Theft University-Business Partnership - www.cj.msu.edu/~outreach/identity
  
  
• National Criminal Justice Reference Service- www.ncjrs.org/spotlight/identity_theft/summary.html

• SEC's Identity Theft Guide for Online Brokerage Account Users - www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/onlinebrokerage.htm
  
  
• UK Identity Theft Site - www.identity-theft.org.uk
  
  
• U.S.PIRG -- www.pirg.org/consumer/credit/
  
  
• U.S. Dept. of Education, Assists with Fed. Student Loan Fraud - www.ed.gov/misused
  
  
• U.S. Dept. of Justice - www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
  
• Washington Post identity theft page - www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/technology/interactives/identitytheft/idtheft.html

REFERENCE LIBRARY: Other Resources

At ITRC our goal is to educate people about the crime of identity theft and provide some useful resources. This list is updated regularly.

Video Tapes and CDs (ITRC does not receive any money from the sale of these tapes)

www.rightonthemoney.org —PBS- Right on the Money: ITRC receives many requests from public groups or law enforcement regarding videotape presentations. This PBS group has an excellent 25 minute video tape on identity theft. To order, click on the “Store” button under the main banner. Pick Episode #425- “Identity Crisis.” There is a second tape that is similar (Losing Your Identity #507) and is a remake of the first tape. The cost of the tape is about $14.95 plus $5 shipping and appropriate state tax. You may also order by phone- 888-MONEY79- or by mail: Right on the Money, Box 55742, Indianapolis IN 46205.

U.S Attorney:—The United States Attorney’s office along with the Department of Justice offers a free videotape on identity theft entitled “Stop Identity Theft Now.” They also have CDs and brochures. All materials including the tape is available in English or Spanish. To order, call 888-228-0315.

Other Resource Groups

http://www.privacyrights.org/inquiryform.html
Sponsored by Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. This site covers both privacy and identity theft issues. We especially recommend the sections on new entries (the most up-to-date information), privacy fact sheets, case histories, and speeches and testimony.

www.identitytheft.org
This site is maintained by Mari Frank, a victim and an attorney who has become a nationally recognized expert in the field. She also several books, a video and a kit, "From Victim to Victor." This resource is very helpful for those who feel they can't write a good letter themselves or who have a rather complex case. Please mention that we sent you. Thank you.

www.consumer.gov/idtheft
The Federal Trade Commission maintains this site and it is full of good information. You should register the identity theft with them. You can reach them toll-free: 1-877-IDTHEFT. The FTC keeps a database of identity theft crimes reported to them. The statistics they collect are helping to force legislators take this crime seriously. The FTC also works with law enforcement to link cases and find imposters who may be repeating this crime in other locations.

www.fightidentitytheft.com
A well-organized site with some good information

www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
The U.S. Department of Justice. There are a number of free publications available at this site.

www.scambusters.org
For up-to-date information on scams.

www.pirg.org
U.S PIRG is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that works for stronger privacy laws

www.bbbonline.org
Check out a business or a possible scam with the Better Business Bureau

www.privacytimes.com
Written by Evan Hendricks. A newsletter published about 22 times a year about privacy and identity theft information. Includes lawsuits, legislation and information on the crime.

www.iir.com/nwccc
National White Collar Crime Center

www.ncjrs.org
National Criminal Justice Reference Service

www.gao.gov
US Government Accounting Office (facts and figures)

www.epic.org
This is a good general research area on a variety of topics including pending federal privacy and identity theft legislation.

www.leginfo.ca.gov
Listing of legislative bills in California. You will find similar ones for each state.

www.senate.gov
Listing of legislative bills introduced in the U.S. Senate

www.ssa.gov
Social Security Administration

www.treas.gov.usss
US Secret Service

www.ifccfbi.gov
The FBI and their Internet Complaint Center