Wisconsin Identity Theft Laws

Between online shopping and paying our bills with our smart phones, we’re using our personal identifying information in a wide variety of areas and contexts these days. This makes the possibility of identity theft all the more dangerous: access to our email might give a hacker access to all of our accounts.

In general, a person using the identifying information of another for financial gain is guilty of identity theft. Fortunately for us, the Badger State has regulations that can help protect citizens from having their identity stolen or otherwise misused. This is a quick introduction to identity theft laws in Wisconsin.

Identity Theft Laws

Another person’s "personal identifying information" might include anything from a person's name and date of birth to his or her social security number and driver's license number. In Wisconsin, identity theft is punishable by six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Wisconsin Identity Theft Statutes

The following chart highlights the specifics of Wisconsin identity theft law.

Even with Wisconsin’s identity theft law in place, it’s up to us to protect our identifying information. Here are some basic tips to help protect yourself against identity theft:

• Always be diligent when reading your credit card statements, bank account statements, and any government statements to check for irregular activity.
• Monitor your credit report and any posted credit activity.
• Use only your first and middle initials and last name on preprinted checks and consider having them routed to a post office box.
• Make your passwords hard to guess by using numbers, capital and lower case letters, and even symbols, and change them frequently.
• Definitely don't use the same password for all your accounts.
• Shred all your bills and credit card offers before throwing them away.
• Beware of telemarketers asking for your social security number, and be wary of giving your personal information over the phone.
• Avoid stand-alone ATMs and only use those ATMs affiliated with a bank or attached to a building surface.

FindLaw’s consumer protection section has information and resources on protecting you from identity theft, scams, or businesses engaging in unfair trade practices.

Related Resources for Wisconsin Identity Theft Laws:

State laws regarding identity theft can be complicated. You can visit FindLaw's Identity Theft Basics and Stolen Identity sections for more introductory information. You can also contact a Wisconsin consumer protection attorney if you would like legal assistance with an identity theft matter.