TEMPE, Ariz., April 19, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Huffington Post recently reported that one in five taxpayers filed their tax returns at the last minute to meet the April 17th deadline, and with tax return identity theft on the rise many could discover their information has already been used and it may be months before a refund is issued. In 2011 the Internal Revenue Service saw a massive increase in such scams over 2010. That year, the IRS stopped 262,000 fake returns and $1.4 billion in refunds because of identity theft in 2011, compared to fewer than 50,000 falsified returns and $247 million dollars in 2010.
Tax return identity theft is a nationwide issue, but it has seen a meteoric rise in The Great Lakes State. According to the latest Federal Trade Commission report on identity theft complaints, crimes committed related to Government Documents or Benefits Fraud are up 10% in the state from the year prior, and the total number of complaints are up 18% in Michigan.
To combat this growing crime, LifeLock (www.lifelock.com), the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (FBI-LEEDA), University of Phoenix and the Oakland County Sheriff's Office will team up to present a free, one-day summit for local, regional and state law enforcement officials in Michigan to better understand how to protect communities from the increasing threats. The summit is scheduled to be held Thursday, April 26th at the University of Phoenix campus in Troy, Michigan. The award-winning training is free, and officials of all experience levels in investigating identity theft crimes are encouraged to attend.
"What the public may not know is that law enforcement agencies work together on a daily basis, sharing intelligence, photographs and crime trends in order to protect the public," said Carol Frederick, course instructor and veteran identity theft investigator. "The same crimes are often committed by the same individuals. Therefore, the more law enforcement knows about crime in the area, the safer the community will be."
The award-winning educational summit will help to increase law enforcement's knowledge base on this crime. The summit will cover identity theft trends and protection strategies as well as the newest techniques being used. Participants are strongly encouraged to share their awareness and resources with their family and communities to help protect against identity theft.
In addition to the law enforcement summits, LifeLock aims to further educate consumers on identity theft and empower them to start protecting themselves from one of the nation's fastest growing crimes by hosting numerous free educational presentations around the country. The award-winning LifeLock Speakers Series provides attendees with a better understanding of the various risks associated with identity theft, current trends of the crime, and the diverse ways identity theft can happen.
About LifeLock
LifeLock, Inc. is an industry leader in identity theft protection. Since 2005, LifeLock has been relentlessly protecting identities by providing consumers with the tools and confidence they need to help protect themselves from identity theft and manage their credit. The company has a strong focus on educating consumers and working with law enforcement and elected officials to better understand the increasing threats of identity theft. A multiple award-winning organization for two consecutive years, LifeLock has been recognized by Inc. magazine on their annual list of top 500 fastest growing privately held businesses in the United States and by the American Business Awards as having the 2011 Customer Service Team of the Year. In August 2011, Javelin Strategy & Research named LifeLock Command Center and LifeLock Credit Score Manager as "Best in Prevention" in their annual Identity Protection Vendor Report. As of March 2012 ID Analytics, Inc., a leader in enterprise identity risk management – with advanced science, that provides unprecedented visibility into identity risk and credit worthiness is a wholly owned subsidiary of LifeLock, Inc.
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