Identity Theft in Indiana
The repercussions of identity theft can range from embarrassment to serious legal and financial injury. Assess your risk, safeguard your identity, and hire an attorney in Indiana if your identity gets stolen.
The Federal Trade Commission reports that there were more than 17,000 incidents of Indiana identity theft in 2020. With a rate of 258 cases per 100,000 residents, Indiana ranks 30th in the nation for this crime. According to CBS4 News, there was a drastic increase in identity theft coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. Indiana has seen a 1,326% increase in cases between 2019 and 2021.
What Is Identity Theft?
Identity theft is one of the most common crimes in the modern world. Criminals are constantly finding new ways to steal your information. These crimes involve the fraudulent use of components of your identity, such as SSNs, driver’s licenses, or credit cards.
Identity thieves may act long before you even realize your information has been stolen, opening new financial accounts in your name without your knowledge. They can also engage in other fraudulent activities, such as filing fake tax returns, making unauthorized purchases, or using your insurance to obtain medical care.
While you work with customer service departments to resolve these issues, a skilled attorney can expedite the process. In some cases, legal intervention is necessary to get companies’ attention and recover your losses effectively.
How Does Identity Theft Happen in Indiana?
Identity theft can happen in many ways. Hackers are constantly advancing their data-stealing techniques. However, there are some long-standing causes of identity theft that every consumer should be aware of:
- Data Breaches – Companies often store personal financial information for subscriptions, auto-pay, or express checkout. Hackers can break into these companies’ servers and extract the personal information of thousands of people at a time.
- ATM or Card Skimmers – Hackers can place devices called skimmers that read your card’s information when you use it. The most common places for skimmers to are in ATM devices or at gas pumps. Some have even found their way into convenience stores and pharmacies.
- Digital Malware and Viruses – Hackers can access your information through phishing, fake websites, and file-sharing networks. You should always be vigilant when receiving emails from questionable accounts or when browsing online. Often, hackers will disguise their phishing attempts as recognizable brands or platforms.
- Physical Theft – Thieves can access your personal information by stealing your mail, purse, or wallet.
- Change Of Address – Another creative way hackers can steal your information is by changing your address with different services you use. Once the mail reroutes to the new address, they can access the information that would normally be sent to your real address.
- Public WiFi – While public WiFi networks are convenient, they rarely encrypt the connection. Most competent hackers can break into public networks and remotely access devices connected to them. Only use public WiFi networks if necessary, and always with a VPN.
What Are Some Identity Theft Laws?
Indiana law defines the crime of identity deception as knowingly or intentionally obtaining, possessing, transferring, or using identifying information to profess to be another person. The basic crime is a Level 6 felony, with a sentencing range of up to 2 years in jail and $10,000 in fines. However, numerous aggravating factors can increase the penalties. For example:
- The crime involves the personal information of more than 100 people
- The crime involves more than $50,000
- The victim is a minor who is dependent on the perpetrator
How Can I Detect Identity Theft?
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if your identity has become compromised. However, if you are vigilant with your passwords and online presence, you can become aware of several signs that point to identity theft. Be on the lookout for the following:
- Any questionable activity you don’t recognize regarding your existing accounts
- Deposits, purchases, credit alerts, etc.
- No longer receiving mail at your primary address
- Calls or letters from debt collectors about debts you never personally incurred
- Unfamiliar charges on your accounts or new accounts you never opened
- Bills for services you never received, such as medical care
- Letter from the IRS regarding duplicate tax returns in your name
- News from a company you have done business with about a data breach
- A sudden and unexplained drop or increase in your credit score
How Do I Recover From Identity Fraud in Indiana?
The first thing you can do is immediately contact your financial institutions and suspend any compromised cards. Some companies also allow you to block any further usage directly from their app.
The next step would be to contact the institutions where you have discrepancies. If you see suspicious transactions, reach out to the places or services where they occurred. Additionally, close any accounts or cancel any subscriptions that may have become compromised.
The Indiana Attorney General provides a complaint form for reporting identity theft. In addition, you can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Furthermore, you need to file a police report and alert your financial institutions. Since the aftermath of identity theft can be time-consuming and expensive, some experts recommend having identity theft insurance. The Indiana Department of Insurance provides comprehensive information on some of the pros and cons of this option.
You should also consider a credit monitoring account if you don’t already have one. These services provide oversight on your credit accounts and alert you when there is suspicious activity. You can either temporarily freeze the account or close it out entirely. An experienced Indiana attorney can also help you right some of the wrongs you encounter along the way.
Identity Theft Protections
Always take proactive steps to protect yourself from identity theft. To many, some of these steps may seem like common sense. However, it’s surprising how often people disclose personal information without a second thought. We recommend you take the following precautions to avoid someone stealing your identity:
- Do not respond to any unsolicited requests asking for personal information.
- Do not click any suspicious links in unsolicited emails.
- Enable all security and two-step verification protocols on your electronic devices.
- Use complex passwords and change them frequently.
- Install any firewall and malware detection software on your electronic devices.
- Properly shred or tear up any documents with personal or financial information before discarding them in the trash.
Work with an Experienced Local Lawyer in Indiana
Are you facing financial or legal complications related to an identity theft issue in Indiana? If that’s the case, we can help connect you with the right attorney to help you resolve these problems, before they spiral out of control. We can even help you connect with an attorney across Indiana state lines.
Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!
About the Author
Aaron is a professional legal writer with a B.S. in English Education from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. He has written, published, and edited thousands of legal articles for RequestLegalHelp, which has connected over 5 million people to legal help in the United States.
With over five years of experience writing thousands of legal articles for law firms across the U.S. and Canada, Aaron specializes in covering federal, state, and city-level legal issues ranging from auto accidents to wrongful terminations. Contact Aaron at [email protected] for article suggestions, collaborations, or inquiries.
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