Protect identity from fraud and abuse

State Senator Thomas Alexander continues to spread word on what South Carolinians can do to protect them from the cyber attack. If you are an individual who filed a S.C. tax return since 1998 you are potentially a victim of cyber identity theft. To protect taxpayers, the state is providing one year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection by Experian ProtectMyID Alert. To sign up, you have until January 31, 2013. According to Alexander, don’t wait. It’s important you act now. Option One: Sign up online. Go to www.protectmyid.com/scdor and use the activation code SCDOR123 to initiate the registration process. All future notices from Experian will be sent to you by email. Option Two: Call the Experian Call Center. Call 1-866/578-5422 to complete the process with a live agent. You may choose to have all future notices from Experian sent to you by postal or email. If you file business tax returns in South Carolina, you can file for identity/credit protection through Dun and Bradstreet, or through Experian: For Dun and Bradstreet: Option One: sign up online. Go to www.DandB.com/SC to initiate the registration process. Option Two: Call Dun and Bradstreet Credibility Corporation Center. 1-800/279-9881 to complete the process with a live agent. House of Operation: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST. For Experian: 1. Go to www.SmartBusinessReports.com/South Carolina 2. Register to get an Experian business credit monitoring access code. 3. An instant email is sent to the user’s email address with the access code. 4. Follow instructions on the email to redeem the access code at the web address provided.