8.3 million Americans fall victim to identity theft each year.

For legislators: The Clean Credit and Identity Theft Protection Act: Model State Law (PDF) for states seeking to enact stronger protections for consumers.

For legislators: Model Bill to Reduce Solicitation, Mailing and Other Uses of SSNs

Lock up credit files with a security freeze

A security freeze lets consumers stop thieves from getting credit in their names. A security freeze locks, or freezes, access to the consumer credit report and credit score. Without this information, a business will not open new accounts for a thief. When the consumer wants to open a new account, he or she uses a PIN to unlock access to the credit file. Check below to see if your state has a security freeze law and learn how to use it.