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FREE Identity Theft Prevention Checklist Click Here |
Who To Contact
In a previous section we talked about steps anyone can take to help prevent identity theft from happening. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may find you become a victim of identity theft or fraud. If this happens, do not blame yourself. Identity thieves are thieves. They are criminals and they engage in malevolent behavior. You did nothing to deserve what happened and you have every right to stand up for your rights and fight back.
That is in fact, exactly what you should do. The quicker you take action the more likely you are to resolve identity theft problems fast and easily. If you are a victim of identity theft there are important steps you can follow to help recover any lost money and restore your privacy, credibility and person.
Report Identity Theft Promptly And Properly
One of the biggest problems, according to the FTC, is that most people do not report identity theft properly. They may neglect to report identity theft to their local police department, but they should. Victims also often neglect to inform the three major credit bureaus of identity theft and the social security office. Taking these steps however, is vital to your recovery in the event you become a victim of identity theft.
Here are some steps everyone should take if they find any part of their identity has been compromised. This includes loss of a credit card or other ID card, discovery of misuse of information or open accounts, or discovery of fraud including email or lottery fraud:
First, report any crime that occurs, including theft of your purse or wallet or suspected theft of your mail with your local police department or authority. The most common ways identity thieves acquire personal information is by stealing a victim’s wallet, purse or by stealing their mail. Mail fraud and theft is very common. Make sure you check your mail daily. Never leave mail in a mailbox overnight.
Once you file a report with your local police agency, make sure you ask for a copy of the report, you may need to submit copies of it to credit bureaus or other agencies to prove a theft occurred. If you find you have difficulty filing a report with the police, ask them to file a report entitled a “Miscellaneous Incident” report. If your local county police office won’t do this, your state police agency will.
Contact your local Attorney General office to make a complaint. Check out the resources section in this chapter for links to state Attorney General offices.
Recognize that credit card theft is the most common form of identity theft. If you are a victim of credit card theft you can immediately report the theft as long as you discover the crime immediately. Many credit card agencies now allow you to post your statements online so you can monitor them for improper use. You can even ask your credit card agency to stop sending you paper statements to reduce the likelihood that someone will get your information and use it illicitly.
Flagging your account will alert potential creditors to take steps to protect you. This will also delay the credit approval process.
The three bureaus are:
o Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
www.equifax.com P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
o TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
www.transunion.com Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
o Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
www.experian.com P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
You will be asked for your SSN and other identifying information through an automated service. The alert will be passed on to the other two bureaus and all three credit bureaus will send you a letter to confirm the fraud alert is in place. You will also be given directions for obtaining your credit report for free from each of the bureaus.
The credit reports will have a telephone number listed on them if you need to contact the bureaus about fraudulent activity listed on the reports.
Get Copies of Your Credit Report
Send for your credit reports following the instructions from the credit bureaus. Review the reports carefully. Look for creditor’s names that you did not request credit from. Also check your personal information; SSN, address, name, initials and employer information.
Order your credit report at least every three months for the first year of the fraud. Some areas provide a free report every 12 months. Other areas will give you several free reports for the year you report an identity theft. Some will charge for each report. Tell them you are an identity theft victim and ask for a free report.
File a Police Report
Keep records of the fraudulent activity as proof for your report. Blackout unrelated activity and give copies to the police. Give them any new evidence as it turns up and keep a copy of the report as proof for creditors and the credit bureaus.
Collect Account Information
Contact the creditors who issued accounts to the identity thief. The Police may give you a form to request the information. Send a copy of the police report and the account statements to the creditor. Pass any new information over to the police.
Close the Accounts
For NEW Accounts created by the thief: Call the creditors (including credit cards, department stores and cell phone accounts) and ask for their security or fraud department. Tell them you are an identity theft victim and ask them to close the accounts and report the closing to the credit bureau. If the account has already been used by the thief ask them not to hold you responsible for the debt.
For EXISTING Accounts used fraudulently by a thief: Close the accounts and ask the creditors to report the closing to the credit bureaus. Request that they declare the account “closed at consumer’s request”. If you open a new account don’t use personal information like your mother’s maiden name or your SSN for a password. If those are the only options request to use a different password.
Alert Government Agencies
If your driver’s license or other government ID has been stolen report it to the proper agency to cancel it and order a replacement. Ask that your information be flagged so that no one else can get copies.
Complete an Identity Theft Affidavit
In order to remove the debts created by the identity theif you will need to send an affidavit to the company or creditor holding the debt. When you contact them to close the accounts ask what forms they require. The affidavit permits them to investigate the claim – it does not ensure that the debt will be cleared.
While each business may have its own requirements you can also obtain a free affidavit form at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf. Ask the business if they will accept this form or need you to fill out one of theirs.
Send the copies of the affidavit and supporting documents to the businesses (a separate form should be created for each account or institution responsible for providing the identity thief with credit). Do not send original bank or card statements. Blackout any information on the statements not related to the account.
Send a copy of each affidavit and the police report to the credit bureaus. Write a letter requesting the information you declared was a result of theft be blocked or removed from your credit report.
Some credit card agencies have fraud alert systems you can elect to place on your credit card so you are called in the event a potentially fraudulent transaction seems to have occurred on your account. If you do find out a theft occurred, contact all three credit bureaus immediately to place a fraud alert on your credit report. You can do this easily by contacting one of the credit bureaus.
New laws now require all credit bureaus to report information about fraud alerts to all three credit bureaus. Some people have more peace of mind however, if they contact the credit bureaus themselves. Check out the resources section of this chapter to find the contact numbers for the credit bureaus and other important agencies you should call if a crime occurs against you.
Close the credit card accounts you know a thief has attempted to misuse or any that have been opened without your consent. File a fraud alert with your credit card agency. There are two types of fraud alerts you can file with your credit card agency, an “initial” alert and an “extended” alert. An initial alert will stay on your credit report for 90 days. This alert prevents creditors from opening new accounts without first contacting you or verifying the person opening the account is you.
You can file an initial alert even if you are not certain you are a victim of an identity theft, just to make sure nothing happens to your credit. When you place this alert, you are able to get a free credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. An extended alert is one that stays on your credit report for up to 7 years. This is a good alert to place if you are severely victimized by an identity thief.
You will need to provide the consumer-reporting agency with a formal identity theft record or Affidavit and a copy of your police report. When you file an extended alert, you can request two credit reports from each of the three main agencies within a one year time frame. Credit reporting agencies will also remove your name from pre-screened credit offers for a minimum of five years to prevent anyone else from attempting to secure credit in your name. When you decide you want these alerts and restrictions removed from your credit, you will need to prove to the consumer-reporting agency your identity. This may involve submitting your social security number to them, your name and other personal information requested by the reporting agency.
Know that placing an alert on your credit will cause you some delays when you do try to secure credit for your own purposes in the future. A business will for example, have to contact you personally to verify you are whom you say you are before they issue you credit. One way to help reduce delays is by providing the credit agencies with your cell number, so they can contact you direct.
File a dispute against any unauthorized accounts or charges incurred under your name. The FTC, working with major credit bureaus and agencies, has developed a form you can use called an ID Theft Affidavit to dispute any unauthorized transactions. You can find a copy of this report here: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf. You will find comprehensive information about how to fill out this report on the FTC’s site.
File a formal complaint with the FTC. The more complaints the FTC receives, the better able the organization will be to prevent ID theft from occurring in the future. The FTC tracks all reported cases of ID theft whether occurring from fraud or actual identity theft and criminal activity. Law enforcement agents throughout the nation can help capture identity thieves the more consumers report them. They may be able to detect patterns of abuse you may not recognize. How do you file a complaint with the FTC? You can fill out their online complaint form or call them at 1-877-ID-THEFT. The complaint form link is provided in the resources section in this chapter. You can also write them. We’ll include their address in the resources section also.
Retain copies of your ID Theft complaint report and your local police report so you can use them to prove your innocence in cases where it comes into question. Know that you can use your ID theft complaint form as a supplement to your police report at any time. You may also need to keep copies of these forms to apply for jobs if an identity thief has secured employment under your name in other areas, as this information may appear on a credit check or background check an employer performs prior to hiring. If you plan to apply for a new job and are a victim of identity theft, let your employer know ahead of time. That way you don’t have to worry about them questioning your honesty and integrity when they do pull your information.
Filing a formal identity theft complaint report is an important step in the process of protecting your credit in the future. When you file a report you prevent false information from appearing on your credit report, and protect these debts from reappearing on your credit reports in the future.
You can also use this report to prevent debt collection companies from trying to collect debts from you that you did not incur, or those that occurred resulting from identity theft.
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