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Car
Secrets 101
How To Save
$1000's On Your Next Vehicle
Shocking Secrets, Scams And
Tricks Revealed
Credit Repair Tips
Identity Theft
ID Theft What To
Do
FTC Complaint
Identity Theft
How
can someone steal your identity? Identity theft occurs when someone
uses your personal information such as your name, Social Security
number, credit card number or other identifying information, without
your permission to commit fraud or other crimes.
Identity theft is a serious crime. People whose identities have been
stolen can spend months or years - and their hard-earned money -
cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit
record. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, be
refused loans, education, housing or cars, or even get arrested for
crimes they didn't commit.
If you think your identity has been stolen, here's what to do now:
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Contact the fraud
departments of any one of the
three major credit
bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit file.
The fraud alert requests creditors to contact you before opening any
new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. As
soon as the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two
credit bureaus will be automatically notified to place fraud alerts,
and all three credit reports will be sent to you free of charge. |
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Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with
or opened fraudulently. Use the
ID Theft Affidavit when
disputing new unauthorized accounts. |
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File a police report. Get a copy of the report to submit to your
creditors and others that may require proof of the crime. |
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File your complaint with
the FTC. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used
by law enforcement agencies for investigations. Filing a complaint
also helps us learn more about identity theft and the problems
victims are having so that we can better assist you. |
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