ITAC, the Identity Theft Assistance Center, helped its 50,000^th consumer in January. ITAC’s victim assistance service – which helps consumers recover from identity theft – is available at no cost to the millions of consumers who have an account at an ITAC member company.

“Consumers are facing hardships right now but identity theft doesn’t have to be one of them,” said ITAC President Anne Wallace. “The companies who belong to ITAC want you to know that we’re here to help.”

The 50,000^th customer was 45-year-old doctor from Virginia who left his credit card at a gas station. The incident resulted in account takeover – when account information is used by the criminal without the account holder’s knowledge. Bank of America referred the case to ITAC, where a trained agent alerted the doctor to other suspicious activity.

“We listened to our customers in designing the ITAC service. They wanted to talk to a real person, someone who understands identity theft and cares about them, and that’s what ITAC does,” said ITAC board member Jean Fichtel, Senior Vice President, US Bank.

As part of its mission, ITAC shares victim data with the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and other law enforcement agencies to help them investigate and prosecute identity crime.

To find a list of ITAC members, go to www.identitytheftassistance.org. Consumers who do not have an account with an ITAC member can still access ITAC’s victim assistance – and comprehensive tools to protect their identity – through ITAC Sentinel®. Learn more at www.itacsentinel.com.

About ITAC

ITAC, the Identity Theft Assistance Center (www.identitytheftassistance.org), is a nonprofit coalition of financial services companies united in our commitment to protect our customers from identity theft. A leading provider of identity assistance services through its ITAC Sentinel® brand (www.itacsentinel.com), ITAC protects all consumers through partnerships with law enforcement, education and identity management services. ITAC has helped more than 50,000 consumers recover from identity theft.