Mississippi Identity Theft Laws: What Is Confirmed and What Is Not

This page covers what is currently known about Mississippi's identity theft statute, Miss. Code Ann. Section 97-45-19, and about state resources for Mississippi identity theft victims. Mississippi's official code is hosted through an authentication-gated LexisNexis portal, so several details below could not be independently confirmed against the current statutory text and are flagged as such rather than stated as fact. For the federal rights and reporting process that apply regardless of state, see our identity theft laws hub and our guide to reporting identity theft.

Mississippi's Identity Theft Statute

Mississippi's identity theft statute is codified at Miss. Code Ann. Section 97-45-19. Mississippi's official code is designated to LexisNexis's hosted portal, which requires authentication and returned no readable statutory text during research for this page, and other official Mississippi legislative sites did not host a working full-text copy either. Secondary legal-reference sources describe the statute as criminalizing obtaining or using another person's identifying information without consent for a fraudulent purpose, and describe the penalty as a felony carrying 2 to 15 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000, dropping to a misdemeanor carrying up to 6 months and a fine of up to $1,000 if the amount involved is under $250.

These figures could not be re-confirmed against a primary source this session, despite a serious attempt. Treat them as reported, not verified, and confirm the current statutory language directly against Mississippi's official code, or with a Mississippi-licensed attorney, before relying on a specific penalty figure for anything consequential. Mississippi Code Chapter 97-45 also appears to contain adjacent sections, commonly cited as Sections 97-45-27 and 97-45-29, that secondary references describe as addressing expungement of fraudulent charges and an Attorney General role in identity theft cases. Their operative text could not be confirmed this session either, so this page does not describe their specific contents.

No Confirmed Minor Credit Freeze Law, and a 2026 Bill That Failed

No standalone Mississippi minor or protected-consumer credit-freeze statute was found. The only recent legislative attempt to create one, Senate Bill 2732 in the 2026 session, would have let parents authorize the Bureau of Vital Statistics to request a free newborn credit freeze within 10 days of birth, following the same procedures as the federal protected-consumer freeze law. The bill passed the Mississippi Senate but died in the House Business and Commerce Committee on March 3, 2026. It is not law, and no free newborn-freeze mechanism specific to Mississippi currently exists. A general Mississippi consumer security-freeze statute, commonly cited as Miss. Code Ann. Section 75-24-201 and following sections, appears to exist based on secondary citations, but its text could not be confirmed live, so whether it independently addresses minors is unresolved. Mississippi residents can still use the federal protected-consumer freeze right under 15 U.S.C. Section 1681c-1(j), in place since 2018, regardless of what state law provides. See our guide to credit freeze vs. fraud alert for how that federal right works.

Reporting to the Mississippi Attorney General

The Office of the Mississippi Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division, is Mississippi's official consumer protection authority; ago.state.ms.us redirects to this site, confirming it as current. A full site review found no dedicated Identity Theft Unit page and no «identity theft passport» program. Identity theft complaints route through the general Consumer Protection «How Can We Help You?» contact form, which lists Victims Assistance and Victims Compensation Fund among its topics, or by phone at 601-359-3680, or by mail at P.O. Box 220, Jackson, MS 39205. A separate Bureau of Victim Assistance division exists within the office, but no identity-theft-specific procedural content, such as a hotline or complaint form dedicated to identity theft, was found on it.

What Remains Unconfirmed

Several facts commonly relevant to identity theft victims could not be confirmed for Mississippi this session: whether Section 97-45-19 or a related section mandates restitution to victims, whether Mississippi law provides a private civil cause of action for identity theft separate from the criminal statute, and whether any statute requires police to accept an identity theft report regardless of jurisdiction. This page does not assert facts on these points either way. Given the number of open questions, Mississippi residents dealing with identity theft should rely most heavily on the federal process described below and confirm any state-specific claim directly with the Attorney General's office or a Mississippi-licensed attorney.

The Federal Layer

Regardless of state, identity theft is also a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. Section 1028. The Federal Trade Commission's free recovery site, IdentityTheft.gov, walks victims through reporting what happened and building a personal recovery plan. Federal law has also required free credit freezes and free fraud alerts at all three credit bureaus since 2018, and FCRA Section 605B lets a victim with an FTC Identity Theft Report get fraudulent information blocked from their credit report. See our identity theft laws hub for the complete federal picture, and our guide to reporting identity theft for the step-by-step process.

Information last verified on 2026-08-13. Mississippi's official code portal could not be reached this session; several statutory details above are reported from secondary sources rather than independently confirmed, and are flagged accordingly. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

Related Resources

• Identity Theft Laws: Federal Rules and State Penalties
• How to Report Identity Theft
• Credit Freeze vs. Fraud Alert

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Last updated: 2026-08-13.