http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14944252.htm

CONSUMER PROTECTION
Law could reduce threat of ID theft
Florida consumers can take advantage of a new credit freeze law to reduce their risk of identity fraud.

BY MONICA HATCHER
mhatcher@MiamiHerald.com

Identity theft is the nation's fastest-growing crime, though it takes months and sometimes years for a person to learn they've become a victim.

A new state law, however, will offer Florida consumers some protection against identity fraud by blocking criminals from using their information to open new accounts.

Florida's credit freeze law, taking effect today, allows consumers to thwart inquiries about their credit score, credit history and other personal information accessed by credit card companies and other lenders before issuing credit.

The ''freeze'' would forbid the three major credit reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, from releasing that information without a consumer's authorization, usually in the form of a PIN number.

A freeze, however, does not prevent thieves from using credit cards already established by a victim, nor is a consumer notified that an attempt has been made to access the information.

Still, consumer advocates say security freezes are among the best ways to reduce the risk of identity fraud.

''It doesn't help you catch the thief, but it helps protect you against the actual theft,'' said Jeff Johnson, a spokesman with AARP Florida.

Florida ranks sixth among states in the number of identity theft complaints reported to the Federal Trade Commission, with more than 17,000 in 2005.

Nationwide, the FTC received more than 250,000 complaints.

Thomas Sadaka, a lawyer with the Berger Singerman firm who previously worked for the Florida statewide prosecutor on computer crime and identity theft prosecution, said people should be aware of the unintended consequences of placing a security freeze on their accounts.

''There are a lot of life events that cause an inquiry to be made to your consumer report, even your health insurance, your car insurance,'' Sadaka said. ``A consumer reporting agency could take up to 14 days before it can get the freeze removed, so if you have that car you've got to buy or a house to buy, you could end up losing that opportunity because you couldn't get the freeze removed from your report quickly enough.''

Despite the freeze, the law allows certain parties to continue looking at your report, including landlords, insurers and existing credit card companies
This won't help against the illegal aliens having such easy access to forged documents.