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What to Do if You Are a Victim of Identity Theft
Written by: Christopher Francis Morales
Reputation Level 8
Posted almost 3 years ago. 2 helpful votes, 0 comments
1
Report Identity TheftFirst and foremost, you should file a police report, and make sure to get a copy once it has been filed. Remember to bring any related evidence, including past police reports from burglary or theft (in which sensitive personal documents could have been stolen) and a recent credit report. Everyone is allowed one free credit report per year, which can be accessed through www.annualcreditreport.com. Also, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/filing-a-report.html ). You will also want to complete an FTC identity theft affidavit, as many creditors ask for the same information and having a copy of the FTC affidavit can save you a lot of time. It can be found online at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf, or can be filed by phone at 1-877-ID-THEFT. 2
Protect Your CreditAfter you file a police report, you should place a security freeze on your credit report with the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. This prevents anyone you do not already have a financial relationship with from looking at your credit report – making it near impossible for someone to open a bank account or credit card under your name. A similar tactic is to place fraud alerts on your credit report, which is also free. Once in place, lenders will verify the identity of anyone opening a credit application in your name. 3
Repair the DamageThese steps will prepare you to dispute credit charges you did not make and generally repair your credit. You must notify both your creditors and credit reporting agencies of disputed charges, and then send each entity a packet including all of the necessary documentation, most notably the police reports, complaints and affidavits we mentioned above. This process can be time consuming, but you must do it to protect your financial well being. If you’ve been a victim of identity theft once, taking the steps I’ve outlined here and in my upcoming newsletter will prevent it from happening again. Stay tuned for my second installment in this two-part series on identity theft, where I outline proactive ways to stay safe. To learn more about how a Certified Criminal Law Specialist can help you, visit my website, www.sfcriminallawspecialist.com. Related Questions1 Attorney answers: 
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