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DA’s Office Offers Help to ID-Theft Victims Via Live Chat Feature

“By adding this service to our website, in partnership with the Identity Theft Resource Center, we are providing real-time support to would-be victims of identity theft,” said District Attorney Summer Stephan.

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office has added a link to a live chat feature on its website that offers instant assistance with identity theft, identity fraud, data breaches and related issues.

“By adding this service to our website, in partnership with the Identity Theft Resource Center, we are providing real-time support to would-be victims of identity theft,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a news release. “Identity theft can financially devastate people and businesses, so we want the public to use resources that are available to help them make smart decisions and protect their personal identifying information.”

Chat-line advisers will ask what happened, followed by a series of questions to determine the scope of the problem, and then provide a custom plan of action and steps to take. Assistance will be available live in English or Spanish during business hours or through direct follow-up for after-hours or weekend calls.

Founded in 1999, the Identity Theft Resource Center is a national nonprofit established to support victims of identity crime.

“Our partnership allows us to reach more people in San Diego County who need help recovering from or preventing identity theft or fraud,” said Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the center.

More than 7 percent of the resource center's calls this year have been from victims who live in California who sought help about compromised personal information due to scams and the misuse of personal information through the takeover of an existing account.

California’s top reported scam is called the “Google Voice scam,” which targets people who post things for sale on sites such as Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace and also people seeking a lost pet. The scammers will say they want to verify the person’s identity and ask them to return a Google Voice verification code that can be used to access accounts.

©2022 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.