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An official Louisiana.gov website. How do I know?

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NextSteps.La.Gov
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 * Incident Notice
 * Protection Enrollment
 * Frequently Asked Questions


STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF

The State of Louisiana takes the security of its citizens' data very seriously.
Therefore, all citizens are strongly encouraged to review the list of FREE steps
that can be taken to mitigate the risk of identity theft. Please carefully read
the steps below.

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STEP 1. FREEZE YOUR CREDIT

You can freeze and unfreeze your credit for free, which stops others from
opening new accounts and borrowing money in your name. Freezing your credit does
not prevent the use of any existing credit cards or bank accounts. If you need
to apply for a new loan, account, or credit card, simply unfreeze your credit
temporarily to allow the financial institution to receive your credit report.
Freezing your credit does not impact your credit score and may be done quickly
online or by contacting the three major credit bureaus by phone:

EXPERIAN

1-888-397-3742

Freeze Your Credit at Experian

EQUIFAX

1-800-685-1111

Freeze Your Credit at Equifax

TRANSUNION

1-888-909-8872

Freeze Your Credit at Transunion

Please also request and review your credit report from these agencies to look
for suspicious activity. If you notice any suspicious activity, immediately
contact the credit agencies and the specific organization reporting that
activity to report the suspected fraud.


STEP 2. CHANGE ALL PASSWORDS

As an additional precaution, consider changing all passwords for online accounts
(examples: banking, social media, and healthcare portals) in the event your
personal data was used to access these accounts. Utilize multi-factor
authentication when able. Learn more about password protection at www.CISA.gov.


STEP 3. PROTECT YOUR TAX REFUND AND RETURNS WITH THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

To prevent someone else from filing returns or receiving your federal tax
refund, request an “Identity Protection Pin” from the Internal Revenue Service
by signing up at:
https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin or
calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.


STEP 4. CHECK YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS

All individuals who are eligible, applied for, and/or are receiving social
security benefits (including disability), please consider registering for a
ssa.gov account at https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ to stop others from stealing
your benefits. If you suspect Social Security fraud, call the Office of
Inspector General hotline at 1-800-269-0271, Social Security Administration at 1
(800) 772-1213, or file a complaint online at oig.ssa.gov.


STEP 5. REPORT SUSPECTED IDENTITY THEFT

If you suspect any abnormal activity involving your data, including financial
information, contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP or visit
www.ReportFraud.FTC.gov immediately. Please also consider the following
proactive measures:

 1. Contact the financial institution reporting abnormal activity and advise it
    that any such activity was fraudulently conducted without your consent.
 2. File a police report with your local law enforcement agency.
 3. File a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime
    Complaint Center (“IC3”) at www.ic3.gov.
 4. Complete and submit a Form 14039 Identity Theft Affidavit with the
    Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (found online here:
    https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f14039.pdf).
 5. Report fraud to the Social Security Administration through the Office of the
    Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or submit a report online at
    https://oig.ssa.gov/.
 6. Review signs of a scam online at https://www.ssa.gov/scam/.


STEP 6. MONITORING ADDITIONAL GOVERNMENT BENEFITS

Please note that many cyber criminals use stolen personal identifying
information to apply for government benefits. While the state is unaware of any
incident affecting the agencies below, please remain vigilant for letters or
communications that you receive from the following agencies regarding recent
and/or denied applications for benefits (unless legitimately applying for such
benefits), as this can be a sign of fraudulent activity and contact them with
questions or concerns:

 1. The Small Business Association (“SBA”): SBA fraud may be reported via email
    at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or through the Office of the Inspector
    General via written correspondence at 409 3rd Street, SW, Suite 7150,
    Washington, DC 20416.
 2. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”): FEMA may be contacted at
    StopFEMAFraud@fema.dhs.gov or 1-866-720-5721.
 3. The Louisiana Workforce Commission at www.Laworks.net and other state
    Unemployment Benefits Offices — a list of which may be found through the
    Department of Labor at:
    https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/unemployment-insurance.

Cybersecurity incidents impacting personal identifying information are becoming
more frequent in modern society. Therefore, and even if no unusual activity was
found on your credit report, please continue to monitor your credit report
regularly.

NextSteps Incident Notice Protection Enrollment Frequently Asked Questions
Office of The Governor