Take Action When Handling Identity Theft

Do you have reason to believe that you have become the victim of identity theft?  If so, it is important for you to take immediate action in order to correct the situation and to prevent the problem from getting out of control.  So if you suspect that you might be the victim of identity theft, be certain to take action right away in handling it by taking the following steps:

• Set up a fraud alert with the credit reporting bureaus
• Close all accounts that have been affected by the identity theft
• File a report with your local authorities
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission

As soon as you discover that you have been victimized by an identity thief, it is important for you to set up a fraud alert with the credit reporting bureaus.  When you set up this alert, your credit report will be frozen and new reports cannot be opened in your name.  It is only necessary to contact one of the credit reporting bureaus, as all three of the bureaus are legally obligated to contact the other two once you put a freeze on your report.  You can contact the companies through their websites, by phone or by writing, but you should make the initial contact by phone in order to get the freeze to take place immediately.  The contact information is as follows:

• Equifax: 1-800-525-6285  P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
• Experian:  1-888-397-3742  P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
• TransUnion:  1-800-680-7289  Fraud Victim Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

After you have placed a freeze on your credit report, you should contact all of the accounts you believe were affected by the identity thief and ask for the accounts to be closed.  Then, contact your local authorities in order to file a report. 

After closing the accounts and filing a report, you should follow up on the situation in writing and you should send copies of any information you have to support your claim, including a copy of your police report.  Send all of your correspondences through certified mail and ask for a return receipt so you can be certain the documents arrived and so you can have a record of their arrival.

Finally, you should file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. This way, the FTC can help prevent others from being victimized while also referring your case to the appropriate agencies to provide you with assistance in your case.  You can file a complaint by visiting the FTC website or by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338).  You can also send a letter to the FTC at the following address:

Identity Theft Clearinghouse
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20580.

 

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Tagged as: identity theft, Security & Technology