It's official: You're a victim of identity theft.
What do you do now?
There's no shortage of advice:
The Federal Trade Commission advises all identity theft victims to take these steps immediately:
- Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review them.
Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name. Call these credit bureaus.
- 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
- Close any accounts you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
Call and speak to 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 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.
Also, the FTC says, "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 SSN or your phone number, or consecutive numbers."
- File a police report in the city where the theft occurred.
Then, get a copy of the police report, or at the very least, the number of the report. It can help you deal with creditors who need proof of the crime. If police are reluctant to take your report, ask to file a "Miscellaneous Incidents" report, or try another jurisdiction, like your state police.
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
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.
You can file a complaint online at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. If you don't have Internet access, call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TDD: 202-326-2502; or write: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.