Guardians of Consumer Confidence: Combating Fraud and Identity Theft

Since its founding in 1899, the National Consumers League (NCL) has fiercely protected vulnerable citizens against predatory financial and other activity. NCL has consistently placed itself on the front lines of defense and has done so effectively.

In today’s digitized and interconnected world, that level of protection is more essential than ever. Consumers are facing clever, stealthy, and constantly evolving scammers and charlatans seeking access to the personal and financial data of consumers, stealing their identities, and swindling them out of money. As my organization knows all too well, they thoroughly disrupt lives in the process. Data breaches are at an all-time high, and reports of identity fraud have soared over the past two years.

That’s why it’s so important that there are organizations working to help victims of these crimes and enable consumers to be better informed and educated so they can better protect themselves. My organization, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), is very proud to work in partnership with NCL to provide no-cost assistance, support, counseling, and education to those who are targeted by identity thieves and scammers. 

NCL’s Fraud.org website is one of the most valuable and effective tools for consumers. NCL offers victims of scams the opportunity to describe the fraud; NCL then maintains a database and shares data—not names or personal information—with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and Canada. Fraud.org also provides practical, constantly updated information on how people can protect themselves from bad actors. We were so impressed with the Fraud. org website that in 2022, ITRC integrated its live-chat function on Fraud.org, providing victims with easy access to ITRC’s identity fraud experts and offering a resource to consumers and small businesses on how they can better protect themselves from identity criminals. This alliance delivered immediate dividends, providing victims with yet another communications option to get in touch with a knowledgeable advocate.

I’ve also had the privilege of participating in NCL’s LifeSmarts program, which helps prepare sixth graders through high school seniors to become educated and empowered consumers. LifeSmarts provides an invaluable service by introducing these young people to the threats posed by data breaches, identity theft, and consumer fraud. Young people spend so much of their lives online these days, and it is vital that they understand how to be savvy and aware of online threats when engaging on websites and social media. Laying this educational groundwork at an early age will help us create a new generation of less vulnerable consumers.

I look forward to our continued partnership with NCL. Those who are victims of scams and identity fraud are often led to believe they were at fault somehow. They aren’t. Fraud is a crime that can happen to anyone. Any of us can be targeted at any time by scammers. As has been the case for 125 years, we know that NCL will be on our side.

______________

Eva Velasquez is President and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC).