SALT LAKE CITY — Utah First Credit Union has joined a growing number of credit unions taking proactive steps to help their members fight identity theft.

The credit union has teamed up with Identity Theft 911 to provide free access to an expert fraud advocate to help should they become victims of identity theft. The personal advocate works one-on-one with members throughout the resolution process from contacting key parties and all three major credit bureaus to minimize damages to personal finances and credit and case file creation, to providing a full year of credit and fraud monitoring.

“We felt strongly that the advocacy approach would best serve our members when faced with the difficult process of isolating fraud and putting their credit and good name back in order,” said Utah First CU Marketing Director Chris Mazuran.

In addition, an educational Web site, www.bankingnirvana-idtheft.com, has been created to help keep all Utah First CU members updated on the latest identity theft news, scams, tips to help prevent identity thieves from succeeding and studies and statistics about the crime.