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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 a substantial credit damage claim, call CM
Financial at 714 441-0900. 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. Visit
http://www.creditdamage.com for more information.
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.
Cathy Taylor is a marketing consultant with over 25 years
experience. She specializes in internet marketing, strategy and
plan development, as well as management of communications and
public relations programs for small business sectors. She can be
reached at Creative Communications: creative-com@cox.net or by
visiting http://www.creditdamage.com or
http://www.internet-marketing-small-business.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Credit - Google News
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