ALEXANDRIA, Va.—NCUA is offering new resources to help consumers battle identity theft.
More than 16 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2012, the most recent year for which data are available, and the losses topped $24 billion, the agency reported. The IRS, as well, estimated it paid more than $5 billion in fraudulent tax refunds in 2013 while preventing another $24 billion in losses when it was able to detect fraud, NCUA added.
In conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission’s Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week, NCUA has added a new page to its consumer site, MyCreditUnion.gov, with information about preventing or reporting identity theft that may be perpetrated using fake contacts that appear to be IRS requests for taxpayer information. The information accompanies additional NCUA resources to help credit union members understand and prevent identity theft, as well as frauds and scams in general.
“With the broad reach of the Internet, we live in a world where personal information about everyone’s identity and finances is potentially vulnerable to thieves and crooks,” NCUA Board Chairman Debbie Matz said. “As part of NCUA’s overall commitment to consumer education and financial literacy, we want to help credit union members understand what they can do to prevent theft or where to get help when cyber fraudsters strike.”
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