Thanks to the digital age, the fear of identity fraud in Utah has generated a whole new industry. There are companies that specialize in protecting your credit, restoring your credit, and helping clean up the mess that the theft of your identity can leave behind.

Responding to evolving technology and public concerns about identity theft, the Utah legislature crafted an expansive law that criminalizes the misuse of someone’s personally identifying information.

The law goes beyond merely forbidding the use of someone’s identity to obtain credit. For example, if you use someone else’s personal information to obtain employment and you earn more than $5,000, it could be a second degree felony.

Or, if you use a person’s personal information to obtain their medical information, it could be a third degree felony.

Or, if you use someone else’s identity to sign up for cable TV, or internet service, or cell service, it could be a second or third degree felony.

So what does the law consider to be off-limits personal information? Besides obvious things such as name, birth date, address, telephone numbers, drivers license number, and Social Security number, it is illegal to misuse someone’s:

• Place of employment;

• Mother’s maiden name;

• Employee ID numbers;

• Electronic signature numbers; and

• Any other numbers used to access financial resources or medical information.

Authorities are bringing extra resources to the fight against identity theft. The United States Attorney’ s Office and the Utah Attorney General’s Office both have investigation, prevention, and prosecution programs focusing on identity fraud.

As a result, anyone finding themselves the focus of an identity theft investigation should immediately seek competent legal advice. The stakes are high and the issues are complicated. Don’t make things worse by procrastinating your decision to get smart help.