Illinois Becomes First State to Launch Identity Theft Hotline

February 9, 2006 – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has announced that her office has launched an identity theft hotline. The hotline will be staffed with consumer advocates, with the specific task of assisting victims with repairing their credit. It is the first service of its kind offered by any state in the country.

 

Use of the hotline will not cost consumers anything and they can use it as often as needed. The advocates answering calls have been specifically trained to assist consumers in disputing fraudulent charges and in dealing with creditors. They are also trained to help consumers avoid any further victimization by helping them place fraud alerts on their credit files, or providing information about how to enact a credit freeze. Advocates will also assist consumers with filing police reports with the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

 

"Identity theft victims are faced with an overwhelming recovery process…” Madigan said. "The new Identity Theft Hotline is intended to provide immediate counseling to help victims navigate a safe path to restored credit. The goal of this hotline is to provide direction, help and peace of mind."

 

In 2005, the FTC received 11,157 identity theft complains from citizens of Illinois. This accounted for 43% of the total consumer complaints that the FTC received from citizens of the state.

 

The hotline is part of a more comprehensive plan by Madigan’s office to combat identity theft. Her office is distributing brochures to consumers to inform them of all of the identity theft services available through the Attorney General, and they have prepared an Identity Theft Resources Guide. The guide provides consumers specific instructions to help them through the credit repair process.

 

Illinois citizens can reach the hotline by calling 1-866-999-5630.

 

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