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What to do if You're a Victim of Identity Theft
If you know your identity has been stolen:
File a police report immediately in your hometown and/or with police in the locatio
n where your wallet was stolen, or where fraudulent charges were made. Get a copy in
case a bank, credit-card company, or other financial institution needs proof of the
crime.
Request or download a uniform affidavit form from the FTC at www.consumer.gov/idtheft
This form is accepted at all three credit bureaus and over 25 major creditors.
Contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus. Place
a fraud alert in your file in addition to a statement asking that all creditors
contact you before opening any new accounts or changing existing accounts.
Request a copy of your credit report from: (Experian 888-397-3742,
Equifax 800-525-6285 and TransUnion 800-680-7289) Review your reports every few
months to verify that corrections were made and to look for evidence of new
fraudulent activity.
Send a registered letter to all creditors where fraudulent accounts have been
opened. Include a copy of the police report. Close credit card accounts that have
been tampered with or opened illegally. Open new accounts with new PINs and
passwords. Ask each creditor for a letter acknowledging that the fraud took place
and releasing you from liability for fraudulent charges. Ask that they report your
previous accounts were closed "at customer request."
If your mail has been stolen, file a report with your local postal inspector.
Report the loss of an ATM card, debit card, or checkbook to your bank. Change
any direct deposit arrangements, pre-authorized account withdrawals, and other
types of automated deposits or bill paying.
Report a lost or stolen driver's license and request a new number - not your
Social Security number!
Contact the Social Security Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 if your number has
been misused.
Keep copies of all correspondence with creditors and records of telephone calls
to document your efforts to correct credit problems.
Source:
Rutgers Cooperative Extension publication Identity Theft Victim Checklist
http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/money/itvictim.asp
Also see:
K-State Research & Extension Service publication Privacy in the Information Age
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/famlf2/mf2281.pdf
Utah State University Extension publication Preventing Identity Theft
http://extension.usu.edu/files/factsheets/preventing_identity_theft.pdf
Rutgers Cooperative Extension fact sheet Identity Theft: AViolent Nonviolent Crime
http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/pubs/pdfs/fs015.pdf Diane L. Burnett, dburnett@oznet.ksu.edu
County Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences
Miami County, Kansas
Kansas State University Research and Extension
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