 The FTC has launched the revamped, interactive IdentityTheft.gov. New features
provide consumers with free personal recovery plans tailored to their
individual identity theft circumstances, step-by-step guidance, and pre-filled
letters and forms to send to creditors, credit reporting agencies, debt
collectors, and the IRS. The site provides recovery steps for more than 30
types of identity theft and is available in Spanish at RobodeIdentidad.gov. Watch the new
video to learn more.
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The FTC will be offering free webinars for Consumer Sentinel
members, focused on how IdentityTheft.gov can help victims and law enforcement. Keep an eye
out for emails announcing webinar dates and
registration information. If you would like a webinar just for your
organization, email sentinel@ftc.gov.
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Identity theft complaints to Consumer Sentinel reached
490,220 in 2015, up from 332,647 in 2014, and 290,102 in 2013.
According to the Department of Justice’s
most recent statistics, identity theft affected an
estimated 17.6 million people in 2014, or 7%
of all United States residents over the age of 16.
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The White House cited IdentityTheft.gov as a key tool for empowering victims in its new Cybersecurity
National Action Plan. Not only does IdentityTheft.gov give you the tools to help
victims, but it also can help you build investigations and support community relations. First, many
identity theft victims need a police report to get fraudulent information
removed from their accounts, or enforce other rights. IdentityTheft.gov guides them to gather the information and
documents that officers need to create police reports efficiently. Second, with
the victim’s complaint in Sentinel, you and other law enforcers nationwide can
access it to discover trends, locate additional victims, and uncover
evidence. Finally,
IdentityTheft.gov is a helpful resource to include in education initiatives
held at community meetings, church gatherings, and other local venues. Get tools
you can use to help make your event a success.
Order free
identity theft educational materials to distribute
at events or in a station house. Link to IdentityTheft.gov
and RobodeIdentidad.gov from
your organization’s site or share tips with your online social networks.
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- Mary Gavin, Chief
of Police for Falls Church, VA
Member of the Executive Committee
of the International Association of Chiefs of Police
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As you may know, we’re rolling out several changes to
Consumer Sentinel over the next 18 months. You may even have caught a preview at a Sentinel 3.0 Town hall, where we
got lots of helpful feedback – and we’re always looking for more. Would you
like to be a beta tester or participate in a user experience working group? If
you have not already volunteered for one, and would like to, email adziekan@ftc.gov.
The FTC filed a
complaint against DeVry University for
allegedly misrepresenting graduates’ prospects of getting well-paid jobs in
their fields. According to the FTC, DeVry stretched the truth by claiming
that 90% of their graduates who were actively seeking employment landed new
jobs in their field of study within six months of graduation. DeVry also
claimed that one year after graduation, the average earnings of DeVry
graduates with bachelor degrees were 15% higher than the earnings of
graduates from all other colleges and universities. The FTC says that DeVry
used unreliable data that does not back up its claims.
General Motors Company, Jim Koons Management
Company, and Lithia Motors
agreed to settle FTC charges that they deceptively marketed their used cars when
they made claims about their comprehensive car inspections. According to the
FTC, many of the cars advertised as having undergone thorough inspections still
had open recalls for safety-related defects, including recalls for defective
ignition switches — a fact the sellers didn’t make clear to prospective buyers.
The settlement says the companies must stop making deceptive claims about their
safety practices, and also must notify recent customers who bought a used car
subject to a recall.
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Sentinel welcomes:
- FBI’s Civil Division Fraud Section
- sheriff and police departments in
California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and South Carolina
- law
enforcement authorities in Italy, the Netherlands, Philippines, Taiwan, Turkey
and the United Kingdom
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Share any of FTC’s free resources and tips in your programs, on your website, and with your social networks.
Order free FTC materials at ftc.gov/bulkorder.
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