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 How to Report Identity Theft
Being a victim of identity theft or other fraud is
an emotional and confusing event. People have not only
lost their credit ratings, money, and reputations due
to identity theft, but have been refused loans, educational
opportunities, job offers, and have even been arrested
for crimes they did not commit.
When something this overwhelming happens, even knowing who to contact can be difficult, as there may be a number of agencies--local, state and federal, that should be involved in the investigation of your identity theft or fraud case.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, if you think your identity has been stolen, here are some steps that you need to take immediately:
- Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit file. The fraud alert requests creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts.
- As soon as the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will be automatically notified to place fraud alerts, and all three credit reports will be sent to you free of charge.
- Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Use the ID Theft Affidavit when disputing new unauthorized accounts.
- File a police report. Get a copy of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.
- File your complaint with the FTC. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations.
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