Oregon zooms to No. 3 in ID theft crime rate

About 15 million Americans are victims of ID theft every year in the U.S., and Oregon now has the dubious honor of ranking third in the nation for the crime, according to a recent report by the Federal Trade Commission.

“Oregon traditionally has been ranked in the 30s in terms of per capita ID theft complaint rates for the FTC,” said John Breyault, vice president of the National Consumers League. “And then this year (2014), they jumped to no. 3. And it looks like it’s been because of a significant increase in the number of complaints about tax ID theft.”

In 2014, Oregon reported 4,946 identity theft complaints to the FTC, which means that for every 100,000 people, there were approximately 124 complaints.

According to the FTC, people should take these three immediate steps if they become victims of ID Theft:

Place afraud alertwith the credit reporting companies.
Getyour free credit reports.
Create anIdentity Theft Reportby filing acomplaint with the Federal Trade Commissionand your local police department.

NeighborImpact’s HomeSource program offers free credit counseling and can help victims determine next steps, assist with rebuilding credit and reviewing credit reports.

“Along with ID theft, we’re also seeing that foreclosure scams remain prevalent in Oregon. Regardless of your situation, NeighborImpact can help you on the road to financial recovery,’ explained Lynne McConnell, associate director of HomeSource and Assets.

All HomeSource coaching services are free and open to households living in Central Oregon. For more information, contact the HomeSource of NeighborImpact office at (541) 323-6567 or email: homesource@neighborimpact.org.