South Carolina Treasurer to address statewide rise in identity theft

Shoppers may not be paying enough attention to their consumer credit reports, as in some parts of the nation identity theft is rising. South Carolina is one such state. Reports of identity theft grew by 15 percent in 2011 compare to the previous year, ranking South Carolina No. 20 in terms of identity fraud. Previously, the state was ranked No. 29. "It's been a huge, huge problem for law enforcement and for victims," Veronica Kunz, executive director of the South Carolina Victims Assistance Network, told Greenville Online. "We're all hearing a lot of complaints from citizens about their credit cards being used inappropriately, medical identity theft, child identity theft." In response to the growing report rate of identity theft, South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis addressed the problem at the University of South Carolina, the Associated Press reports. As part of the address, Loftis is teaming up with credit card company MasterCard to offer listeners advice on how to avoid being victims of identity theft and what steps to take if the crime does occur.