Wisconsin 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.
Wisconsin Office of Privacy Protection website
Wisconsin DOT Lost or Stolen Driver License or ID Card web page
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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin Business Filings
In Wisconsin, if your state business records have been fraudulently changed or updated, contact the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions Corporation Section to report and correct fraudulent business filings. Contact information is provided below.
Please note that you should only contact the Corporation Section of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions for business identity theft incidents involving fraudulent business records. For such incidents, the Section may also report or escalate to law enforcement as appropriate.
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.
Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions
Main website: www.wdfi.org
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Wisconsin D.F.I. - Division of Corporate & Consumer Services - Corporation Section
Wisconsin D.F.I. Corporation Section website
Corporation Section telephone: (608) 261-7577
Corporation Section fax: (608) 267-6813
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Mailing address:
WI. Department of Financial Institutions
Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
Corporations Bureau, 3rd Floor
P.O. Box 7846
Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7846 |
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Physical address:
WI. Department of Financial Institutions
Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
345 W Washington Avenue
3rd Floor
Madison, Wisconsin 53703 |
Wisconsin Credit Security Freeze
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 a police report or DMV report)
• All others must pay $10.00 to place a 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 Wisconsin:
• Experian security freeze website
• Equifax security freeze website
• TransUnion security freeze website
• Innovis security freeze website
Report Business Identity Theft to Wisconsin Law Enforcement
In Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin Office of Privacy Protection.
In the case of fraudulent business filings, the Corporation Section of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions 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.
Wisconsin Office of Privacy Protection
Website: www.privacy.wi.gov
File a complaint with the Wisconsin Office of Privacy Protection
Wisconsin OPP downloadable complaint form
OPP hotline: 1-800-422-7128 or (608) 224-5163
Complaints mailing address:
WI Office of Privacy Protection
WI Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection
2811 Agriculture Drive
P.O. Box 8911
Madison, Wisconsin 53708-8911
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Wisconsin Department of Justice - Office of Crime Victim Services
Website: www.doj.state.wi.us/cvs
Wisconsin DOJ CVS telephone numbers:
Toll-free: 1-800-446-6564 (Victims only)
Local: (608) 264-9497
Fax: (608) 264-6368
TTY: (800) 947-3529
Mailing address:
Office of Crime Victim Services
P.O. Box 7951
Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7951