What are the steps I should take if I'm a victim of identity theft?



If you are a victim of identity theft, take the following four

steps as soon as possible, and keep a record with the details of

your conversations and copies of all correspondence.

1. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your

credit reports.

Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any

more accounts in your name. Contact the toll-free fraud number of

any of the three consumer reporting companies below to place a

fraud alert on your credit report. If you do not receive a

confirmation from the company, you should contact that company

directly to place a fraud alert.

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta,

GA 30374-0241

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box

9532, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim

Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you're entitled to

order one free copy of your credit report from each of the three

consumer reporting companies. Once you get your credit reports,

review them carefully. Look for inquiries from companies you

haven't contacted, accounts you didn't open, and debts on your

accounts that you can't explain. Check that information, like your

Social Security number, address(es), name or initials, and

employers are correct. If you find fraudulent or inaccurate

information, get it removed. When you correct your credit report,

use an Identity Theft Report with a cover letter explaining your

request, to get the fastest and most complete results. Continue to

check your credit reports periodically,

2. Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered

with or opened fraudulently.

Call and speak with someone in the security or fraud department of

each company. Follow up in writing, and include copies (NOT

originals) of supporting documents. It's important to notify credit

card companies and banks in writing. Send your letters by certified

mail, return receipt requested, so you can document what the

company received and when. Keep a file of your correspondence and

enclosures.

When you open new accounts, use new Personal Identification Numbers

(PINs) and passwords. Avoid using easily available information like

your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of

your Social Security number or your phone number, or a series of

consecutive numbers.

If the identity thief has made charges or debits on your accounts,

or has fraudulently opened accounts, ask the company for the forms

to dispute those transactions:

For charges and debits on existing accounts, ask the

representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms. If

the company doesn't have special forms, use the sample letter to

dispute the fraudulent charges or debits. In either case, write to

the company at the address given for "billing inquiries," NOT the

address for sending your payments.

* For new unauthorized accounts, you can either file a dispute

directly with the company or file a report with the police and

provide a copy, called an “Identity Theft Report," to the company.

If you want to file a dispute directly with the company, and do

not want to file a report with the police, ask if the company

accepts the FTC’s ID Theft Affidavit (PDF, 56 KB). If it does not,

ask the representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms.

However, filing a report with the police and then

providing the company with an Identity Theft Report will give you

greater protection. For example, if the company has already

reported these unauthorized accounts or debts on your credit

report, an Identity Theft Report will require them to stop

reporting that fraudulent information. Use the cover letter to

explain to the company the rights you have by using the Identity

Theft Report. More information about getting and using an Identity

Theft Report can be found here.

Once you have resolved your identity theft dispute with the

company, ask for a letter stating that the company has closed the

disputed accounts and has discharged the fraudulent debts. This

letter is your best proof if errors relating to this account

reappear on your credit report or you are contacted again about the

fraudulent debt.

3. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

You can file a complaint with the FTC using the online complaint

form; or call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free:

1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261; or write Identity

Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania

Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. Be sure to call the Hotline to

update your complaint if you have any additional information or

problems.

By sharing your identity theft complaint with the FTC, you will

provide important information that can help law enforcement

officials across the nation track down identity thieves and stop

them. The FTC can refer victims' complaints to other government

agencies and companies for further action, as well as investigate

companies for violations of laws the agency enforces.

Additionally, you can provide a printed copy of your online

Complaint form to the police to incorporate into their police

report. The printed FTC ID Theft Complaint, in conjunction with

the police report, can constitute an Identity Theft Report and

entitle you to certain protections. This Identity Theft Report can

be used to (1) permanently block fraudulent information from

appearing on your credit report; (2) ensure that debts do not

reappear on your credit report; (3) prevent a company from

continuing to collect debts that result from identity theft; and

(4) place an extended fraud alert on your credit report.

4. File a report with your local police or the police in the

community where the identity theft took place.

Call your local police department and tell them that you want to

file a report about your identity theft. Ask them if you can file

the report in person. If you cannot, ask if you can file a report

over the Internet or telephone. See below for information about

Automated Reports.

If the police are reluctant to take your report, ask to file a

"Miscellaneous Incident" report, or try another jurisdiction, like

your state police. You also can check with your state Attorney

General's office to find out if state law requires the police to

take reports for identity theft. Check the Blue Pages of your

telephone directory for the phone number or check www.naag.org for

a list of state Attorneys General.

When you go to your local police department to file your report,

bring a printed copy of your FTC ID Theft Complaint form, your

cover letter, and your supporting documentation. The cover letter

explains why a police report and an ID Theft Complaint are so

important to victims.

Ask the officer to attach or incorporate the ID Theft Complaint

into their police report. Tell them that you need a copy of the

Identity Theft Report to dispute the fraudulent accounts and debts

created by the identity thief.