CLEVELAND — During Identity Theft Awareness Week, the Federal Trade Commission is encouraging consumers to take steps to protect their personal and financial information.
The FTC received more than one million reports of identity theft in 2023.
More than 34,000 of those reports were logged in Ohio, the 12th highest number in the U.S.
According to a new study that analyzed FBI crime data between 2020 and 2023, Ohio is the second most vulnerable state to identity fraud.
Good Morning Cleveland anchor Mike Brookbank spoke to Colin MacDonald, an FTC attorney, about ways to reduce the risk of ID theft.
"Take a look at their credit report, make sure that everything on there looks like it's supposed to, but also look at their credit card statements, look at their health insurance," said MacDonald. "Identity theft doesn't only happen through opening of new accounts. It can be that somebody gets your credit card number and runs up a bunch of purchases, or it can be that somebody uses your Social Security number to claim a tax refund that was supposed to go to you but instead goes to the scammer."
Consumers can report ID theft and get a personal recovery plan, click here.
