New protections against identity theft notable

The new federal law that was supposed to make it easier to help victims of identity theft may not be all it could have been, but some new protections are worth noting. For example, you will no longer have to pay a fee (usually $8 to $10) to check your credit reports. There are some limitations, but even so, this should help victims to view their credit history to see how their accounts may have been compromised by identity thieves.

Also, lenders and credit bureaus will no longer be able to report negative information based on identity theft. This should help cut down on instances where negative data were reinserted even after it was shown to be linked to identity fraud. But, since the law is too often breached, it’s still up to us to keep the credit institutions honest in their reporting.

In short, while the new law is an imperfect tool at present, at least it’s a start, and we should get Congress to sharpen its effectiveness as soon as possible.

More on identity theft to come. Meanwhile, you might want to watch Lifetime’s film “Identity Theft” airing Nov. 1. It’s based on the true story of Michelle Brown, whose struggle to regain her stolen identity led to the passage of the new law we touched on above.

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