State Helping Citizens Protect their Identity

(WOLO) COLUMBIA,S.C., — You may not realize how important protecting your identity is, until it no longer belongs to only you. One local man who did not want to be identified, says his identity was stolen and he’s been fighting to get it back for nearly a decade. State Treasurer, Curtis Loftis says this scenario is more common then some may think. Last year alone, Loftis say the number of identity fraud cases have increased by 15 percent. Now the State is teaming up wtih AARP and Mastercard to help senior citizens and college students take advantage of tools available to better protect themselves. Loftis says they’ve already held two forums and plan to host several more to keep residents from being victimized. If you would like more information on how to protect your personal information and what tools are available to you, you can log onto: Mastercardstopfraud.gov