Identity Theft/Data Breach Litigation Attorneys

Representing Clients in Texas and throughout the USA

Identity theft — or identity fraud — occurs when a thief wrongfully obtains or uses another person's confidential personal and financial information — such as Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, credit card numbers or bank account numbers — for economic gain.

Identity thieves are increasingly stealing confidential personal and financial information on a wide scale basis from corporations, banks, hospitals, universities and government agencies with inadequate security measures in place. These security breaches — or data breaches — can occur in any number of ways, including identity thieves hacking into computer systems, identity thieves stealing laptop computers containing confidential information, and disgruntled former employees stealing confidential customer or patient information.

The effects of an unauthorized disclosure of confidential personal and financial information are often serious and far-reaching. Identity thieves use this information to establish credit in their name, run up debts on a victim's account, take over existing financial accounts, and "breed" fictitious identities for future identity thefts. In addition to suffering financially, identity theft victims also may experience denial of credit or utility services, increased difficulty in securing employment or housing, and higher insurance and credit rates. In some cases, a victim may even have a criminal record develop in his or her name. These harms are in addition to the time and expense of repairing one's credit after being victimized.

Although many people experience the impact of a data breach within a few months after it occurs, in many instances, the problems will persist for a much longer period. Unlike the theft of property, confidential personal and financial information cannot be "retrieved" after it has been stolen. Even after a victim has recovered from an identity theft, he or she remains vulnerable to future problems because confidential personal and financial information works like an "access card" that cannot be readily deactivated.

The most effective way to prevent or limit the possible harm from an identity theft is to establish a program of identity fraud prevention, detection, and repair. This type of program should include — at minimum — daily monitoring of all three major credit reporting agencies, monitoring of internet chat rooms and directories, and reviewing online public records. Such a program, which is offered by several credit monitoring services, will greatly reduce the chance that stolen information will actually be used and, if it is, enhance the chance of early detection to minimize the harm. Credit insurance will further protect identity theft victims into the future.

The Coffman Law Firm is actively litigating identity theft cases — especially identity theft cases resulting from wide scale data breaches — in courts throughout the United States. If you are the victim of a data breach, contact The Coffman Law Firm today for your initial consultation with a Texas identity theft attorney.

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505 Orleans St., Suite 505
Beaumont, Texas 77701