Can The Law Protect You From Identity Theft?
What The Current Laws Can Do About Identity Theft
What do you do if you've become the victim of identity theft? Until recently, your options were quite limited. Fortunately, thanks to new laws on the books, recovering from identity theft is getting easier. Here is some information that can help you should you ever find yourself in the victim's seat.
The Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2008
First, become acquainted with the Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2008. It sounds like a mouthful, but this new law provides some changes that could help you should you ever become a victim of an identity theft crime.
In the past, a victim of identity theft had little help from the federal government if there had been less than $5,000 stolen from them or if the criminal lived in the same state. This new law changes all that. Now your perpetrator can steal much less and live right next door and the authorities can step in and make it a federal case.
Another thing the new law addresses is that lowlife identity theft criminals can now be required to pay restitution to their victims. Actual monetary damages and compensation for time lost recovering from the crime can all be awarded when you have your day in court.
State Laws
In addition to federal laws, there are state laws that can also help you if you become the victim of an identity theft crime. If the person who stole your identity lives in the same state as you, turning to the state for help can give you added power in bringing the criminal to justice.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is this... Identity theft laws still have a long way to go if they're ever to be considered ideal. We have, however, definitely made a few strides over the past year and we should really give the federal government some praise for the changes that are being made. It seems that identity theft is no longer going to be a low-risk crime that pays.