This is the longest shutdown in US history

The government website website Americans use to report stolen identity cases has been shuttered by the government shutdown.

An estimated nine million Americans have their identities stolen each year — That’s almost 25,000 identities stolen each day.

“Recovering from identity theft is easier with a plan,” says a government public service announcement video about the website. “You can generate the letters and forms that you need, track your progress and keep detailed records of people that you’ve talked to."

IndentityTheft.gov now looks like this:

CNN attempted to contact the FTC for comment and received an automated reply, saying that their public affairs office was closed and there would be no response.

How it's impacting customers: Julie Korts, 52, was shopping for the holidays on Dec. 19 in Plymouth, Minnesota. In the course of three minutes, she got a phone call, text and email notification.

“The phone then rang again, and I answered,” she told CNN. “It was Citicorp who handles my Home Depot credit card.”

No, she had not just bought $37 worth of stuff at a Pomona, California, Home Depot. But someone using her identity did.

Korts did what she was supposed to: She made a report with her local police department and contacted the Federal Trade Commission to file a report.

The FTC directed her to IndentityTheft.gov — the shuttered website — which usually guides victims through each step of the recovery process with a personalized recovery program.

“Every day I wonder how much of my life is ruined,” she says. “Every day I wake up and wonder who will call today…I just don’t know what to do next.”

Let's block ads! (Why?)