About Illinois Identity Theft Lawyers · Chicago
Illinois Identity Theft Lawyers is the Illinois practice page of Credit Repair Lawyers of America, a multi-state consumer protection law firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with an Illinois office in Chicago. Founded by attorney Gary Nitzkin, the firm has been in business since 1990 and has offered its current credit-report and identity-theft recovery services since 2008. The Chicago office handles identity-theft credit restoration, credit report error correction, and debt collector harassment cases for Illinois consumers on a contingency / no-out-of-pocket fee model, recovering attorney fees from credit bureaus and furnishers under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Illinois Identity Theft Lawyers operates as the Illinois arm of Credit Repair Lawyers of America, an attorney-led consumer protection firm founded in 1990 by attorney Gary Nitzkin and headquartered at 3355 Lenox Road #750, Atlanta, GA 30326. The Illinois practice is based at 159 N Sangamon Street #200, Chicago, IL 60607, reachable at 312-467-7380, and is listed on LinkedIn as 'Credit Repair Lawyers of America - Illinois.' The firm launched its current identity-theft and credit-report-error practice in 2008 and now serves consumers in Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida. For identity theft victims in Illinois, the firm files disputes with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, helps gather the FTC Identity Theft Affidavit and supporting ID documentation, and pursues FCRA claims against credit bureaus and data furnishers when fraudulent accounts are not properly removed. Because the FCRA is a fee-shifting statute, the firm represents Illinois clients at no out-of-pocket cost when defendants settle. The practice also stops FDCPA-violating debt collectors, fixes mixed-file and background-check errors, corrects medical-debt reporting, and handles post-bankruptcy credit cleanups, making it one of the larger multi-state consumer law practices serving Chicago and the rest of Illinois.
- In business
- 1990 (firm founded); current credit repair / identity theft services offered since 2008
- Owner
- Gary Nitzkin, Attorney and CEO
- Serves
- Chicago, Cook County, and statewide Illinois; firm also serves Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Ohio, Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida
- Rating
- Not separately published for the Illinois identity theft page; parent Credit Repair Lawyers of America holds a reported 4.3-star rating on approximately 120 Google reviews
Illinois Identity Theft Lawyers — Practice Overview
Illinois Identity Theft Lawyers is the Chicago-based Illinois practice of Credit Repair Lawyers of America, an attorney-led consumer protection firm founded in 1990 by Gary Nitzkin. The Illinois office is located at 159 N Sangamon Street #200, Chicago, IL 60607, and can be reached at 312-467-7380 during business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The firm has offered its current identity-theft and credit-report recovery services since 2008 and now represents consumers across Illinois as well as nine additional states. The core mission of the Illinois practice is to help identity-theft victims remove fraudulent accounts from their credit files, recover statutory and actual damages from violating credit bureaus and furnishers, and stop abusive debt collectors — all on a contingency basis so clients pay nothing out of pocket when their case is successful.
- Illinois office: 159 N Sangamon St #200, Chicago, IL 60607
- Phone: 312-467-7380
- Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Lead attorney: Gary Nitzkin
- Firm founded 1990; current services since 2008
Identity Theft Credit Report Recovery
The firm's primary Illinois service is helping victims of identity theft clean up fraudulent accounts, inquiries, and addresses that have appeared on their Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion credit reports. The process begins with a free credit report review, followed by preparation of an FTC Identity Theft Affidavit obtained at identitytheft.gov, collection of proof of identity (such as a driver's license or other government-issued ID), and the filing of formal dispute letters with each of the three major credit bureaus and with the lenders or furnishers that supplied the fraudulent data. When the bureaus or furnishers fail to conduct a reasonable investigation within the 30-day window required by the FCRA, the firm escalates the matter into formal litigation to seek actual damages, statutory damages of up to $1,000 per violation, and punitive damages in cases of willful noncompliance.
- FTC Identity Theft Affidavit preparation
- Police report coordination (Chicago Police non-emergency: 312-744-5000)
- Disputes to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion
- FCRA litigation against non-compliant bureaus and furnishers
- Pursuit of actual, statutory (up to $1,000), and punitive damages
Fraud Alerts, Credit Freezes, and Illinois Law
Beyond credit-bureau disputes, the firm advises Illinois identity-theft victims on placing an initial fraud alert with one of the three bureaus (which is legally required to notify the other two) and on implementing a full credit freeze under 815 ILCS 505/2SS, which Illinois makes available free of charge to all consumers. The Illinois Identity Crime Act (720 ILCS 5/16-30) provides additional state-level recourse against the identity thieves themselves, and the firm can reference that statute in parallel with federal FCRA claims to strengthen an overall case.
- One-call fraud alert with auto-notification to all three bureaus
- Free credit freezes under 815 ILCS 505/2SS
- Illinois Identity Crime Act (720 ILCS 5/16-30) claims
- Statute-of-limitations analysis on credit-card lawsuits (commonly five years in Illinois)
Credit Report Errors and Mixed-File Disputes
Beyond identity theft, Illinois Identity Theft Lawyers handles general credit-report error cases, including accounts, collections, late payments, and public records that don't belong to the consumer or are reported inaccurately. The firm reviews every line of a client's credit reports, sends targeted written dispute letters to the bureaus and original furnishers, and uses the FCRA — a fee-shifting statute — to force corrections and recover attorney fees when a creditor or collection agency continues to report false information after notice. The practice also resolves mixed-file (or 'merged file') cases, in which one consumer's credit data is combined with another person's file, and corrects background-check reporting errors that can affect employment, housing, and insurance applications.
- Line-by-line credit report audit
- Written disputes with documented evidence
- Mixed-file / merged-file separation
- Background-check error correction (tenant, employment, general)
- Post-bankruptcy credit report cleanup
Debt Collector Harassment (FDCPA)
The Illinois practice also represents consumers against abusive debt collectors under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Illinois Collection Agency Act. The firm documents every collector contact, disputes improper tradelines that result from illegal collection reporting, and pursues damages when a collection agency crosses the line — including calls to work, threats, false representations, and reporting inaccurate information to the credit bureaus. Many credit-card collection lawsuits in Illinois are governed by a five-year statute of limitations, and the firm uses that window to defend consumers against time-barred suits.
- FDCPA claims against abusive collectors
- Illinois Collection Agency Act enforcement
- Statute-of-limitations defense on credit-card lawsuits
- Documentation of every collector contact
- Removal of improper collection tradelines
No-Out-of-Pocket Fee Model
Because the Fair Credit Reporting Act is a fee-shifting law, when the firm wins an FCRA case the credit bureaus or furnishers that broke the rules must pay the firm's attorney fees and costs — not the client. This allows Illinois Identity Theft Lawyers to deliver legal credit-repair services at no out-of-pocket charge, in compliance with the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) and the Illinois Credit Services Organization Act (815 ILCS 605/1 et seq.). Clients receive a free initial consultation and only pay attorney fees if and when their case is successfully resolved, with those fees typically recovered from the defendant side.
- Free initial consultation and credit report review
- Contingency / no-out-of-pocket representation
- Attorney fees recovered from defendant under FCRA fee-shifting
- CROA and Illinois CSOA compliance
Lead Attorney: Gary Nitzkin
Gary Nitzkin is the Attorney and CEO of Credit Repair Lawyers of America and the lead attorney overseeing the Illinois identity-theft practice. He has built the firm from its 1990 origins into a multi-state consumer protection practice serving Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Nitzkin writes regularly on consumer-law topics — including HIPAA, medical-debt reporting, and FDCPA enforcement — and his articles appear on the firm's site and on LinkedIn Pulse. He is reachable directly at [email protected] and at the firm's toll-free consultation line.
- Title: Attorney and CEO, Credit Repair Lawyers of America
- Practice focus: FCRA, FDCPA, identity theft, credit report errors
- Reachable via [email protected]
- Frequent author on consumer-protection law topics
Service Area and Multi-State Footprint
While the Illinois identity-theft page is the local entry point for Chicago and statewide Illinois consumers, Credit Repair Lawyers of America operates across a ten-state footprint from its Atlanta headquarters. The Illinois office at 159 N Sangamon Street serves Chicago and Cook County directly, and the firm extends representation to consumers throughout Illinois and to neighboring states. This multi-state reach means Illinois clients benefit from a firm that has handled thousands of credit-report and identity-theft cases across diverse jurisdictions.
- Primary Illinois office: 159 N Sangamon St #200, Chicago, IL 60607
- Headquarters: 3355 Lenox Road #750, Atlanta, GA 30326
- States served: IL, GA, MI, AZ, OH, KY, NY, NJ, PA, FL
Getting Started — Free Consultation
Illinois consumers can begin the process by requesting a free credit report review and case evaluation. The firm pulls the client's reports from all three major bureaus, identifies errors, fraudulent accounts, and improper collection tradelines, and outlines the legal options available under federal and Illinois law. After the review, if the case is accepted, the firm prepares the necessary dispute documentation — including the FTC Identity Theft Affidavit, identity verification, and supporting evidence — and begins communications with the credit bureaus, furnishers, and debt collectors on the client's behalf.
- Call 312-467-7380 for the Illinois office
- Email [email protected]
- Free credit report review and consultation
- No obligation to proceed