COLUMBUS, Ohio-- Many Ohioans have experienced the devastation of identity theft — and more than 9 million Americans fall victim to this crime annually. The problem many victims discover is it’s nearly impossible to catch identity thieves.

Ohio lawmakers have passed a bill to try and stop those thieves in their tracks. Americans now can protect themselves with something called a credit freeze, NBC 4’s Erin Tate reported.

Consumers can lock their accounts and prevent an identity thief from opening new accounts at their expense, she said.

Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray has a new Web site to help Ohioans safeguard their hard-earned cash.

The Web site is www.yourmoneynowonline.org. There, Ohioans can learn more about protecting themselves with a credit freeze. The site explains what personal information consumers need to share with each of the major credit-reporting agencies in order to prevent becoming victims of financial crime.

The Federal Trade Commission said that 7,000 Ohioans fall prey to identity theft each year. Beyond self-protection, consumers can find comfort in the steps businesses also take.

Julie Davis Friend teaches companies how and why they need to keep a customer’s financial information secure.

“If that is lost under the wrong set of circumstances, they are subject to some pretty punitive fines,” Friend said.

Consumers also unfreeze their own accounts. For all the details on substitute House Bill 46, you can find a link on nbc4i.com. Search for keyword CREDIT FREEZE.

Stay tuned to NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for more information.

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