Maine 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.
Office of the Maine Attorney General identity theft guide (personal protection)
Office of the Secretary of State: “Protect your Privacy & Prevent Identity Fraud” (personal protection)
Maine Bureau of Financial Institutions: “Credit Reports and Identity Theft” (personal protection)
Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation - “Consumer Credit Protection: Identity Theft” (personal protection)
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 Maine 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 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 Maine Business Filings
In Maine, if your state business records have been fraudulently changed or updated, contact the Maine Secretary of State Division of Corporations to report and correct fraudulent business filings. Contact information is provided below.
Please note that you should only contact the Maine Secretary of State Division of Corporations for business identity theft incidents involving fraudulent business records.
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.
Maine Department of the Secretary of State
Main website: www.maine.gov/sos
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Maine Secretary of State - Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
Maine SoS - Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions website
Division of Corporations telephone: (207) 624-7736
Division of Corporations fax: (207) 287-5874
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Address:
Maine Dept. of the Secretary of State
Division of Corporations
Burton Cross Building
111 Sewall Street, 4th Floor
Augusta, Maine 04333
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Maine Credit Security Freeze
Maine 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 Maine 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 to place a freeze (with a copy of police report)
• All others must pay $10.00 to place a freeze, to temporarily lift the freeze, or to remove it entirely
• There is a $12.00 fee to temporarily lift the freeze for a specific creditor
• There is a $10.00 fee for replacement PINs, if needed
• The freeze will remain in place until you remove it
To Place a Credit Security Freeze in Maine:
• Experian security freeze website
• Equifax security freeze website
• TransUnion security freeze website
• Innovis security freeze website
Report Business Identity Theft to Maine Law Enforcement
In Maine, if your business is a victim of business identity theft, you should report the crime to your local law enforcement agency. In some cases, you may also file a complaint with the Office of the Maine Attorney General Consumer Protection Division.
In the case of fraudulent business filings, the Maine Secretary of State Division of Corporations 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.
Office of the Maine Attorney General
Maine Office of the Attorney General website
Office of the Maine Attorney General - Consumer Protection Division
Maine AG Consumer Protection Division contact page
Maine AG Consumer Information and Mediation Service phone: (800) 436-2131 or (207) 626-8849
Address:
Attorney General's Consumer Information and Mediation Service
6 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333
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