If Your Personal Information Has Been Lost or Stolen
If you’ve lost personal information or identification, or if it has been stolen from you, taking certain steps quickly can minimize the potential for identity theft.
Take these steps immediately.
Financial accounts: Close accounts, like credit cards and bank accounts, immediately. When you open new accounts, place passwords on them. Avoid using your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number (SSN) or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.
Social Security number: Call the toll-free fraud number of any of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies and place an initial fraud alert on your credit reports. An alert can help stop someone from opening new credit accounts in your name.
Driver’s license/other government-issued identification: Contact the agency that issued the license or other identification document. Follow its procedures to cancel the document and to get a replacement. Ask the agency to flag your file so that no one else can get a license or any other identification document from them in your name.
Immediate Actions If you are a victim of identity theft, take the following four steps as soon as
possible to guard your identity, and keep a record with the details of your conversations and copies
of all correspondence.
Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review
your credit reports. Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts
in your name. Contact the toll-free fraud number of any of the three consumer
reporting companies below to place a fraud alert on your credit report. You
only need to contact one of the three companies to place an alert. The company
you call is required to contact the other two, which will place an alert on their
versions of your report, too. Get Equifax Credit Watch Gold 3-in-1 Now!
• Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA
30374-0241
• Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742); 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
Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you’re entitled to order free copies
of your credit reports, and, if you ask, only the last four digits of your SSN will
appear on your credit reports.
Once you get your credit reports, review them carefully. Look for inquiries
from companies you haven’t contacted, accounts you didn’t open, and debts on
your accounts that you can’t explain. Check that information like your SSN,
address(es), name or initials, and employers are correct. If you find fraudulent
or inaccurate information, get it removed.
Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have
been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Call and speak with 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 your 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.
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 a series of consecutive numbers.
If the
identity thief has made charges or debits on your accounts, or on
fraudulently opened accounts, ask the company for the forms to
dispute those transactions.
Once you have resolved your identity theft dispute with the company, ask for
a letter stating that the company has closed the disputed accounts and has
discharged the fraudulent debts. This letter is your best proof if errors
relating to this account reappear on your credit report or you are contacted
again about the fraudulent debt.
File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. 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 the police are reluctant to take your report, ask to file a “Miscellaneous Incidents” report, or try another jurisdiction, like your state police. You also can check with your state Attorney General’s office to find out if state law requires the police to take reports for identity theft. Check the Blue Pages of your telephone directory for the phone number or check www.naag.org for a list of state Attorneys General.
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. By sharing your identity theft complaint with the FTC, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement officials across the nation track down identity thieves and stop them. 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. www.ftc.gov 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-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261; or write: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. Be sure to call the Hotline to update your complaint if you have any additional information or problems.
Part One is a copy of a report filed with a local, state, or federal law enforcement
agency, like your local police department, your State Attorney General, the
FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, the FTC, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
There is no federal law requiring a federal agency to take a report about
identity theft; however, some state laws require local police departments to
take reports. When you file a report, provide as much information as you can
about the crime, including anything you know about the dates of the identity
theft, the fraudulent accounts opened, and the alleged identity thief.
Note: Knowingly submitting false information could subject you to criminal
prosecution for perjury.
Part Two of an identity theft report depends on the policies of the consumer reporting company and the information provider (the business that sent the information to the consumer reporting company). That is, they may ask you to provide information or documentation in addition to that included in the law enforcement report which is reasonably intended to verify your identity theft. They must make their request within 15 days of receiving your law enforcement report, or, if you already obtained an extended fraud alert on your credit report, the date you submit your request to the credit reporting company for information blocking. The consumer reporting company and information provider then have 15 more days to work with you to make sure your identity theft report contains everything they need. They are entitled to take five days to review any information you give them. For example, if you give them information 11 days after they request it, they do not have to make a final decision until 16 days after they asked you for that information. If you give them any information after the 15-day deadline, they can reject your identity theft report as incomplete; you will have to resubmit your identity theft report with the correct information
Automated Reports Filing. You may find that most federal and state agencies, and some local police departments, offer only “automated” reports – a report that does not require a face-to-face meeting with a law enforcement officer. Automated reports may be submitted online, or by telephone or mail. If you have a choice, do not use an automated report. The reason? It’s more difficult for the consumer reporting company or information provider to verify the information. Unless you are asking a consumer reporting company to place an extended fraud alert on your credit report, you probably will have to provide additional information or documentation when you use an automated report.
Guarding or Repairing Your Identity Will Take Time. While dealing with problems resulting from identity theft can be time-consuming and frustrating, most victims can resolve their cases by being assertive, organized, and knowledgeable about their legal rights. Some laws require you to notify companies within specific time periods. Don’t delay in contacting any companies to deal with these problems, and ask for supervisors if you need more help than you’re getting. Bank Accounts and Fraudulent Withdrawals Different laws determine your legal remedies based on the type of bank fraud you have suffered. For example, state laws protect you against fraud committed by a thief using paper documents, like stolen or counterfeit checks. But if the thief used an electronic fund transfer, federal law applies. Many transactions may seem to be processed electronically but are still considered “paper” transactions. If you’re not sure what type of transaction the thief used to commit the fraud, ask the financial institution that processed the transaction.