Ask the Lukins & Annis Legal Professional - Identity Theft

By: Jed W. Morris

Question: How do I respond to identity theft?

Answer: Identity theft is a very real threat to both businesses and individuals. As we develop more sophisticated ways to protect our personal information, the "bad guys" develop more sophisticated ways to access it.

If you are a business and have access to individual confidential information, you should have developed appropriate security safeguards and procedures. These are required for most financial and healthcare-related businesses and soon may be required for any business which extends credit to its customers. In the event of a breach of security, your first steps will probably be to notify the affected parties, make sure the means of accessing the confidential information has been eliminated and offer credit monitoring to the affected parties.

If you are an individual and personal confidential information has been compromised, you should report the situation to your bank, and, if appropriate, credit reporting agencies and law enforcement authorities. Many companies require a police report as a condition to relief from the adverse consequences of identity theft.