New Protection Against ID Theft In Washington

Sunday a new law took effect that allows D.C. citizens to prevent access to their credit records. This law is intended to reduce the instances of identity theft that has been rising at a frightening rate. 

To place a block on the accounts, a consumer must notify all three credit reporting bureaus and create a password. Only individuals or agencies with the access password would be allowed entry. The credit agencies are allowed to charge a small fee, no more than 10 dollars, for this service. 

Although officers in D.C. report a 52 percent rise in the number of identity thefts called into the station, they believe it is because consumers are more aware and picking up on the crime more often than was the case in the past.