Law May Help Freeze ID Theft A 2003 statute allows Californians to block access to their credit reports. Few knew about it until the ChoicePoint scandal.
By David Colker and Rong-Gong Lin II Times Staff Writers
California residents have the ultimate weapon against identity theft -- but few know it.
That may be changing, however, as a rash of security breaches putting personal information at risk has heightened public concern about privacy.
The weapon is a little-known California law -- the only one of its kind in effect -- allowing residents to freeze access to their credit reports. Such a step effectively prevents identity thieves from opening unauthorized credit accounts in the names of their victims.
Inquiries about the law, which took effect in 2003, have risen dramatically in the last few months, state officials said. And it has generated attention across the country as well: This year, 22 states considered legislation that allows consumers to freeze their credit reports.