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What Should I Do If I’ve Become a Victim of
Identity Theft?
Identity thieves take advantage of everyday opportunities to
discover your personal information and use it to commit fraud or
other crimes. The good news is a victim of identity theft has more
options today than ever before. According to the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC), there are four important actions you can take to
minimize the credit damage caused by circumstances beyond your
control.
1. Contact any of the three major credit bureaus. Speak to someone
in the fraud department and request that a fraud alert be placed on
your credit report. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud
alert, the other two will automatically place one on your report as
well. With a fraud alert in place, creditors must contact you before
opening any new accounts in your name or changing any details of
your existing accounts.
Then request a free copy of your credit report from each one. Review
all of your credit information looking for unauthorized accounts,
charges, or changes. Check the accuracy of your name, address, phone
number, Social Security number (SSN), past employers, and any other
personal information. Request any inaccuracies be corrected by
notifying the bureaus by phone and follow up in writing by using
certified mail, return receipt requested, so you will have
documentation of all requests and responses by the bureaus. The
addresses for each bureau are listed at the end of this article.
Continue to check your reports every few months, especially in the
first year after you have lost your personal information.
2. Contact the creditors for the accounts that have been altered or
opened without your permission. This includes bank accounts, credit
card companies, lenders, utilities, phone companies, Internet
service providers, and any other services that may be opened
fraudulently. Contact the company’s fraud department b phone and
follow up with a letter.
The FTC offers the “ID Theft Affidavit” to dispute new accounts,
available at www.ftc.gov . To dispute charges on existing accounts,
request the company’s fraud dispute forms.
If you suspect that a thief has been passing bad checks in your
name, close the account immediately and notify your bank. Contact
the major check verification services and ask that the retailers who
use their databases stop accepting your checks for purchases. To
find out if an identity thief has been writing checks in your name,
call SCAN at 1-800-262-7771. The three major check verification
services are:
• TeleCheck – Call 1-800-710-9898 or 927-0188.
• Certegy, Inc. – Call 1-800-437-5120.
• International Check Services – Call 1-800-631-9656.
3. The third step to take if you believe you are a victim of
identity theft is to file a police report. Request a copy of the
report for your records and to send to creditors for verification of
the crime. Unfortunately, 61% of victims in 2004 did not notify the
police of identity theft crimes.
4. Finally, file a complaint with the FTC to help law enforcement
across the country track identity thieves and catch them. You will
also be referred to other useful government agencies and consumer
organizations to help you recover from identity theft. Contact the
FTC in any of the following ways:
• Call the FTC’s Identity Theft Hotline at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338);
• Write Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580;
• Or visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft .
5. If you have been turned down for a loan, lost a job, or possibly
had to pay significantly more interest fees because damage to your
credit score due to circumstances beyond your control, you may have
a credit damage claim. Now with a newly developed process called
Credit Damage Measurement, you can measure the financial loss you
have sustained and as a result, receive fair compensation.
These five steps should resolve most of your credit problems after
becoming a victim of identity theft. However, stay alert for new
occurrences. Review your credit report every year and report any
problems to creditors immediately both by phone and in writing. With
diligence and a little patience, you can recover your good name.
As promised, here is the location and contact information for he
three credit bureaus to report fraud:
• Equifax – Call 1-800-525-6285; write P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA
30374-0241; or visit www.equifax.com for more information.
• Experian – Call 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); write P.O. Box 9532,
Allen, TX 75013; or visit www.experian.com for more information.
• TransUnion – Call 1-800-680-7289; write Fraud Victim Assistance
Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790; or visit
www.tuc.com for more information.
For more information about identity theft prevention contact Cathy
at 949 635-4923
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