South Carolina Taxpayers Are Reminded of ProtectMyID Enrollment

Columbia, SC (March 14, 2013) — The March 31, 2013 deadline to enroll with Experian’s ProtectMyID credit monitoring service is fast approaching and the SC Department of Revenue (DOR) is reminding taxpayers to sign up either online or by phone for the one-year, free service.

Individuals who have not already enrolled with ProtectMyID are urged to do so before the March 31, 2013 deadline by visiting www.protectmyid.com/scdor and entering the code “SCDOR123” or by calling 1-866-578-5422, if you do not have internet access. “We encourage consumers to take advantage of all of the free tools available to mitigate the effects of the DOR breach,” said Carrie Grube Lybarker, Administrator of the SC Department of Consumer Affairs.

ProtectMyID is designed to detect, protect and resolve potential identity theft, and includes daily monitoring of all three credit bureaus. With the complimentary one-year enrollment, individuals will be alerted to any changes to his or her credit file, and will also have access to fraud resolution agents beyond the enrollment period.

The ProtectMyID one-year enrollment includes:

• A free copy of your Experian credit report
• Daily monitoring of the three credit bureaus
• Access to a Fraud Resolution Agent should you become a victim of identity theft
• Access to ExtendCARE which provides full access to the same personalized assistance from a highly-trained Fraud Resolution Agent even after the initial ProtectMyID membership expires
• $1 Million Identity Theft Insurance that can help you cover certain costs including, lost wages, private investigator fees, and unauthorized electronic fund transfers

According to DOR Director Bill Blume, “With approximately 1.3 million individuals currently enrolled with Experian’s ProtectMyID, DOR continues to encourage all South Carolina taxpayers to sign up before the March 31 deadline, and those who have already enrolled are urged to advise family members and friends to enroll as well. ProtectMyID is offered as a free service to best monitor their credit files. The representatives with both the Department of Consumer Affairs and ProtectMyID are proven partners with DOR and are willing to assist all taxpayers.”

Upon enrollment with ProtectMyID, taxpayers who claim minors as dependents should receive notification from Experian by email or letter with instructions on how to sign up minors for Experian’s Family Secure plan. The enrollment deadline for Family Secure is May 31, 2013.

For more information on protecting yourself against identity theft, visit the Department of Consumer Affair’s website at www.consumer.sc.gov or call 1-800-922-1594. Information related to the security breach can be found on DOR’s website at www.sctax.org.

You may also contact Tax On Wheels, LLC at 803 732-4288 if you need assistance with Identity Theft issues surrounding your tax returns.