Arkansas state resources for personal identity theft protection

Note: These resources are specifically designed to address personal identity theft prevention and incidents of consumer identity theft. Because most state and federal identity theft and consumer protection laws are designed to protect individual consumers, businesses generally do not enjoy the same rights, protections, and potential recourse as consumers. Therefore, while helpful in addressing many issues that you may face as an individual, be aware that consumer identity theft information may not be applicable to an incident of business identity theft or fraud.

Arkansas Attorney General consumer identity theft website   (personal protection information)

Arkansas Identity Theft Passport Program

In the 2005 Arkansas enacted Act 744 -“An Act to Provide for the Issuance of an Identity Theft Passport by the Attorney General to Victims of Financial Identity Theft.” This law gives the Attorney General authority to issue an Identity Theft Passport to an Arkansas resident who learns or reasonably suspects that he or she is a victim of financial identity fraud; and who has filed a police report confirming that he or she is a victim of financial identity fraud. The Identity Theft Passport is a card, similar in appearance to a driver’s license, which is designed to assist financial identity fraud victims in re-establishing their good names. In addition, the Identity Theft Passport may help prevent a victim’s arrest for other criminal offenses committed by the identity thief.

Arkansas Identity Theft Passport Program website

Arkansas ID Theft Passport Program phone:   (501) 682-2007

Learn how to protect your personal credit

Business identity thieves often use the identity information (and credit) of the business owner or company officers to open new accounts, or as guarantors of fraudulent loans and lines of credit. In addition to taking actions to protect your business, it is also important to protect yourself as well. This section provides detailed explanations of important consumer credit protection tools that are available to help protect your personal credit from identity thieves.

Use the links below to learn what these tools are, how they work, and how to use them to help protect your personal credit.

Tools & Resources to Protect Your Personal Credit:

Review, Manage, and Protect Your Arkansas State Business Filings

If your business does not regularly review your state business filings, file your annual reports in a timely manner, or enroll in email alerts or other preventative systems that may be offered by your state, you may unknowingly attract the unwanted attention of business identity thieves.

• Review your Arkansas business filings online
  Verify the accuracy of your state business filings and confirm that your filings are up to date

• Review your Arkansas UCC filings online
  Verify the accuracy of your Arkansas UCC filings

Review and Protect Your Business Credit Reports

Business identity thieves can manipulate or falsify business credit records and then use these to impersonate your business, or as a part of a fraud scheme to target your business. To combat this, you should periodically review your business credit reports and the information that is being reported.

Contact the business credit reporting agencies:

Report and Correct Fraudulent Arkansas Business Filings

In Arkansas, if your state business records have been fraudulently changed or updated, contact the Arkansas Secretary of State Business and Commercial Services Office to report and correct fraudulent business records. Contact information is provided below.

Please note that you should only contact the Arkansas Secretary of State Business and Commercial Services Office for business identity theft incidents involving fraudulent business filings.

All other types of business identity theft incidents and related fraud should be reported directly to law enforcement. Also review the Business Identity Theft Victim Action List for other important steps to take.

Arkansas Credit Security Freeze

Arkansas enacted its own state law establishing the availability of credit security freezes for its citizens. The three major credit bureaus  (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) have also voluntarily made security freezes available to all Arkansas state citizens. Innovis voluntarily allows consumers in all states to freeze their Innovis credit files.

Eligibility: All consumers 

Credit Security Freeze Fees:  Per credit bureau. To be effective, you should place a freeze at each credit bureau
• No cost for confirmed identity theft victims (with a copy of a police report), or for seniors age 65 or older
• All others must pay $5.00 to place a new freeze, to temporarily lift the freeze, or to remove it entirely
• The freeze will remain in place until you remove it

To Place a Credit Security Freeze in Arkansas:

• Experian security freeze website  

• Equifax security freeze website  

• TransUnion security freeze website  

• Innovis security freeze website  
 

Report Business Identity Theft to Arkansas Law Enforcement

In Arkansas, if your business is a victim of business identity theft, you should report the crime to your local law enforcement agency.

In the case of fraudulent business filings, the Arkansas Secretary of State Business and Commercial Services Office may also report or escalate to law enforcement as appropriate.

Also review the Business Identity Theft Victim Action List for other important steps to take.

State of Arkansas - Office of the Attorney General

Arkansas Attorney General website

Arkansas Attorney General Consumer Protection website

Arkansas AG Consumer Protection telephone:   (501) 682-2341   or   (800) 482-8982