Do You Suspect You Are a Victim of Identity Theft?

No matter how many precautions you take, you can still become a victim of identity theft. Taking action immediately can help lessen the extensive damage that this illegal activity can inflict. The following will be invaluable to you if you believe someone is using your identity and is provided for general guidance and information.

Contact the Credit Reporting Agencies

Contact the fraud department of one of the three national credit reporting agencies immediately. One call to any one of the three national credit agencies will place a "fraud alert" on all three of your credit reports. In addition to the "fraud alert", you may also want to request that a "victim's statement" be added. A victim's statement requests creditors call you before opening any new accounts or changing your existing accounts. The contact information for each of the three credit repositories is as follows:

Equifax

Visit the Equifax website
Call 800-525-6285,
or write to: PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Hearing impaired call 800-255-0056 and ask the operator to call the
Auto Disclosure Line at 800-685-1111 to request a copy of your report.

Experian

Visit the Experian website
Call 888-397-3742,
or write to: PO Box 9530, Allen, TX 75013
TDD: 800-972-0322

Trans Union

Visit the Trans Union website
Call 800-680-7289,
or write to:
Fraud Victim Assistance Division, PO Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634
TDD: 877-553-7803

File a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission

Click here to file a fraud complaint online,
call their Identity Theft hotline at 877-438-4338
TDD: 202-326-2502,
or write to:
Identity Theft Clearinghouse
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20580

Other Helpful Suggestions:

Contact the Social Security Administration

Fraud Hotline: 800-269-0271

Contact Your Bank and All Other Creditors

Contact by phone or in writing regarding your accounts - some banks and/or creditors may have the ability to do this on their company website.

Contact Your Local Police Department

To see if state consumer protection laws apply. You will benefit from filing a police report and obtaining a copy of the report in case the bank, credit card company or others need proof of the crime.

If You Suspect Mail Fraud

Contact your local postmaster if you suspect mail was used to commit fraud. You can also call the US Postal Service Crime Hot Line at 800-654-8896. You can file a complaint online by visiting the US Postal Inspection Service.

Helpful Resources

Visit The Identity Theft Resource Center. It is a nationwide non-profit organization that provides support to victims and broadens public awareness.

Call 866-434-6854 to receive phone counseling from Call for Action, Inc. This is another non-profit group that provides services to identity theft victims.

More Tips

Contact the creditors for any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Speak with someone in the security or fraud department of each creditor and follow up with a letter.

Keep records of everything involved in your efforts to clear up fraud - including copies of written correspondence and records of telephone calls.

The first step in precautionary measures to avoid ID theft is to check your credit report on a yearly basis. For more information on how to receive a free credit report, visit Annual Credit Report. This is the website that the government set up for consumers to receive their free credit reports on a yearly basis from all three credit repositories.