The theft earlier this year of a back-up computer device at
the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS) has had some
wide-spread repercussions. The device contained personal information
for around one million Ohio citizens including their social security
numbers. In order to protect Ohioans from possible identity theft or
credit fraud, the DAS sent letters to almost every Ohio household. The
letter said their personal information could be compromised. The letter
also contained information about a company with which the state
contracted to insure citizens against loss. The company, Debix, is
located in Texas and specializes in offering protection against
identity fraud. Ohio is offering this service, free of charge, for one
year. This is all well and good and very generous of Ohio to advance
the protection. However, the letter they sent looked, to many people,
like a scam similar to the Nigerian letter. People became especially
suspicious when an attached form asked for the applicant’s social
security number. Rest assured, the offer from the state is legitimate
and the contract company has a good reputation. Ohioans can sign up for
the protection for one year free of charge and do not need to renew nor
are will they be renewed with out their permission. To check the
veracity of any communications you may receive regarding this matter,
you may call the DAS at 1-800-267-4474 or go to the Ohio website at
www.ohio.gov. and click on ID protection. It’s good that citizens have
become aware of the dangers of giving out their social security and
other personal numbers and they should be wary of all such requests. In
this case however, adequate measures have been taken to guard privacy.
The BBB suggests that all citizens of Ohio be fore-warned that there
may be copy-cat versions of this letter or even phone calls in the wake
of this event that are fraudulent. Be sure to check all of them out via
the information in this article or through the BBB.