POSTED: 3:54 pm CDT July 22, 2004
UPDATED: 3:59 pm CDT July 22, 2004

NEW ORLEANS -- Consumers have a new tool in the fight against identity theft, a crime that claimed 7 million victims in the United States last year.

The new "security freeze" on credit reports is expected to reduce that number.

"It's the fastest growing crime in the United States," Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti said. "(It has grown) 160 percent over the last three years and 162 percent in the state of Louisiana."


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