Beginning in December, North Carolina companies will be required to take preventative measures to combat identity theft when they handle customers’ personal information.

“More than 300,000 North Carolinians fall victim to identity thieves each year, and the crime costs citizens and businesses billions of dollars,” said Gov. Mike Easley in a written statement.

“This new law will help stop thieves from gaining access to consumers’ personal information and profiting at their expense.”

The new law, previously SB1048, restricts the sale and display of Social Security numbers, and mandates companies to properly destroy information when they throw it away.

It also gives consumers the right to place a security “freeze” on their credit reports to help prevent identify thieves from opening accounts or obtaining credit in another person’s name.

The new law includes an exemption for Internet account numbers, e-mail addresses and names, and driver’s license numbers on law enforcement records from being considered personal information.

State and local governments also are discouraged from asking for a Social Security number in routine business with citizens.

The new law will be phased in beginning in December and continuing through July 2007.

To help prevent identity theft, authorities warn consumers to look out for their own interests by reading their credit card statements, reviewing their credit reports once a year, and destroying unwanted credit card offers.

If you think you’ve been a victim of identity theft, you are encouraged to file a police report and a complaint with the state attorney general’s office.