(A) The attorney general, in cooperation with any law enforcement agency, may issue an identity fraud passport to a person who is a victim in this state of identity fraud or identity fraud against an elderly person or disabled adult and has filed a police report with any law enforcement agency citing that the person is a victim of a violation of section 2913.49 of the Revised Code. Once a police report of that nature has been filed with any law enforcement agency, the victim may apply for an identity fraud passport through any law enforcement agency. The law enforcement agency shall send a copy of the police report and the application for an identity fraud passport to the attorney general. The attorney general shall process the application and supporting police report and may issue the victim of identity fraud or identity fraud against an elderly person or disabled adult an identity fraud passport in the form of a card or certificate.

(B)

(1) A victim of identity fraud or identity fraud against an elderly person or disabled adult may present the victim's identity fraud passport issued by the attorney general in accordance with division (A) of this section to both of the following:

(a) A law enforcement agency to help prevent the victim's arrest or detention for offenses committed by someone other than the victim who is using the victim's identity;

(b) Any of the victim's creditors to aid in the creditors' investigation and establishment of whether fraudulent charges were made against accounts in the victim's name or whether accounts were opened using the victim's identity.

(2) Acceptance of the identity fraud passport presented by the victim to a law enforcement agency or creditors pursuant to division (B)(1) of this section is at the discretion of the law enforcement agency or creditor. A law enforcement agency or creditor may consider the surrounding circumstances and available information regarding the offense of identity fraud pertaining to the victim.

(C)

(1) Subject to its use for statistical purposes pursuant to division (C)(2) of this section, an application made with the attorney general pursuant to division (A) of this section, including any supporting documentation, is not a public record pursuant to section 149.43 of the Revised Code. The attorney general may provide access to the applications and supporting documentation filed with the attorney general's office to other criminal justice agencies in this or another state.

(2) The attorney general shall maintain statistics with respect to the number of applications for identity fraud passports submitted, and the number of identity fraud passports issued, pursuant to division (A) of this section. Not later than the first day of November in each year, the attorney general shall submit a statistical report to the governor, the president and minority leader of the senate, and the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives indicating the number of applications for identity fraud passports submitted, and the number of identity fraud passports issued, pursuant to division (A) of this section in the previous fiscal year. Nothing in the statistics maintained or the statistical report submitted by the attorney general pursuant to this division shall identify, or enable the identification of, any individual who applied for, was issued, or was denied an identity fraud passport. The statistics and the statistical report are public records for the purpose of section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 09-16-2005.