Washington Attorney General McKenna kicks off 15-city Identity Theft Tour

July 02, 2007 -- OLYMPIA – Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna will headline a 15-city statewide tour on identity theft this summer and fall to educate business owners and consumers on how to keep their personal data safe. Guard it! Washington is a partnership of the Attorney General’s Office, Federal Trade Commission and AARP.

The 15-city Guard it! Washington identity theft tour will kick off July 12 in Yakima and end on Oct. 24 with the Washington Credit Union League’s Shred-a-thon.

“More than 5,000 Washington residents become victims of identity theft each year, according to reports from the Federal Trade Commission,” McKenna said. “Thieves are capitalizing on the latest technologies to commit these crimes.”

McKenna has made prevention and protection against identity theft a top priority for his administration. He convened an identity theft task force in fall 2005 to identify areas where progress could be made. The task force’s Law Enforcement Group Against Identity Theft (LEGIT) held a statewide shred-a-thon in April 2007 and the Attorney General’s Office drafted and supported passage of credit freeze legislation during the 2007 session.

“Consumer education is finally paying off,” McKenna said. “Washington has dropped to number nine in the nation for identify thefts per capita, however there is still much work to be done.”

Identity theft costs consumers approximately $50 billion a year. Identity theft continues to be the most frequently requested topic for consumer protection outreach.

Guard it! Tour Schedule:
• YAKIMA: July 12, Thursday, Yakima Valley Community College, Parker Room, South 16th and Nob Hill Blvd.
• TRI-CITIES: August 8, Wednesday, Columbia Basin College, Byron Gjerde Multipurpose Center, 2600 North 20th Ave., Pasco.
• SPOKANE: August 9, Thursday, Spokane Community College, Lair Room, 1810 N. Greene St.
• SEATTLE (Rainier Valley): August 14, Tuesday, Southeast Seattle Senior Center, Auditorium, 4655 S. Holly St.
• BELLINGHAM: August 15, Wednesday, Bellingham Technical College, G Building – Rooms A&B, 3028 Lindbergh Ave.
• EVERETT: August 16, Thursday, Everett Community College, Baker 120 room, 2000 Tower St., Everett
• PORT ORCHARD: August 27, Monday, South Kitsap High School, Stage Two, 425 Mitchell Avenue
• KENT: August 28, Tuesday, Kent Meridian High School, East Wing Auditorium, 10020 S.E. 256th St., Kent
• TACOMA: August 30, Thursday, Bates Technical College – South Campus, 2201 S. 78th St.
• SHORELINE: September 4, Tuesday, Shoreline Community College, room 2925, 16101 Greenwood Ave. N.
• VANCOUVER: September 6, Thursday, Washington State School for the Blind, Fries Auditorium, 2214 E. 13th St.
• SEQUIM: September 19, Wednesday, Sequim City Hall Chambers, 152 W. Cedar St.
• OLYMPIA: October 4, Thursday, Capitol Campus – Cherberg Building, State Senate Hearing Room 1, 416 Sid Snyder Ave. S.W.
• EAST WENATCHEE: October 11, Thursday, Eastmont High School, LGI, 955 N.E. Third Ave.
• OAK HARBOR: October 18, Thursday, Skagit Valley College – Oak Harbor Campus, Hayes Hall-137, 1900 S.E. Pioneer Way

Register now to attend one of the public seminars online or call toll-free 1-800-646-2283. Additional details online at www.atg.wa.gov/guardit.aspx.

Source: Washington Attorney General