The FTC has released a new tool designed to help victims of identity theft fight back.
The tool comes in the form of a major upgrade to IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC's website for getting information about what it calls "pernicious crime."
The website will now offer users the ability to generate forms and letters to be sent to credit bureaus, debt collectors, the IRS and so on. A big part of the tool is a new wizard that is aimed at helping consumers, depending on their current situation. The wizard will help users get the necessary paperwork and undo the normal effects of the user's identity being stolen. It will also offer different advice for people who have had their credit card information stolen, for example, compared with victims of tax fraud.
According to the FTC, this is the first time the government has offered an all-in-one tool for victims of identity theft. Previously, the agency has offered guidelines on what to do as a victim of identity theft, but hasn't actually helped people do what it suggests.
Identity theft is on the rise in the U.S., and the FTC notes that it received a whopping 490,000 complaints in 2015, an increase of 47 percent over 2014. The Department of Justice also highlights a huge increase, reporting that there were 17.6 million Americans who were victims of identity theft in 2015, up from 11.7 million in 2014.
