Federal Trade Commission

When researching the topic of identity theft or trying to find ways of battling the crime, the best source to consult is the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC is the government agency charged with upholding fair and legal business practices along with investigating fraud and identity theft.

In fact, identity theft is an area of special interest for the FTC. The agency can provide materials to help report identity theft and offers advice for how people should go about getting their financial lives back together after being victimized. The FTC also catalogs reports and statistics on identity theft and keeps tabs on trends and current scams.

Web Site

To find out information on the FTC’s current battle to curb identity theft visit their web site. It contains sections devoted to both personal and commercial identity theft and even has a version completely in Spanish. Visitors to the site can read up on known scams and learn ways to protect themselves. There also is extensive information on what to do should you become a victim of identity theft.

One of the most important jobs of the FTC is investigating cases of identity theft. The agency maintains the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse that catalogs more than 815,000 reported complaints. It tracks the complaints and provides a resource for those wishing to learn about other complaints related to their case.

Resources

The FTC also provides referrals to other government agencies and firms involved in the fight against identity theft. The references include links to web sites and telephone numbers for contacting these agencies either to gain more information or to report identity theft. The agency web site also catalogs press releases and explanations of current regulations and what they mean for consumers.

Among the resources offered by the agency are numerous publications explaining identity theft and what to do should it happen to you. These can be obtained through the mail or on compact disc, or downloaded from their web site. There are dozens of these publications that cover specific topics ranging from how military personnel can handle the special challenges of protecting themselves to ways to identify fraudulent schemes.