The Idaho Department of Finance (IDOF) is pleased to recognize the month of December as Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month. Identity theft is defined as a crime where a consumer’s personal or financial information is illegally obtained to commit fraud.

The Idaho Department of Finance (the “Department”) joined twenty-four other state financial regulatory agencies in taking collective action against Plutus Financial, Inc., Abra Trading, LLC, Plutus Financial Holdings, Inc., Plutus Lending, LLC (collectively known as “Abra”), and CEO and largest equity owner William “Bill” Barhydt for operating a cryptocurrency company without receiving the required state licensing.

The Idaho Department of Finance (IDOF) and Idaho Commission on Aging (ICOA) are announcing the creation of a joint Senior Fraud and Financial Exploitation Prevention Working Group (SFFEP) comprised of financial and senior protection experts to provide recommendations for potential policies, frameworks, and solutions that can help better protect Idaho’s senior community from financial crime.

Idaho Department of Finance Director, Patti Perkins and Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction, Debbie Critchfield have declared April Financial Literacy Month in Idaho. Financial Literacy Month serves as a platform to highlight the significance of understanding the primary pillars of personal finance, such as budgeting and saving, homebuying, managing debt, making informed investment decisions, and protecting hard-earned assets through scam awareness.