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Steps you Need to Take if you Believe Identity Theft has Already Occurred |
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- First, contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus.
Tell them that you’re an identity theft victim. Request that a “fraud alert” be
placed in your file, as well as a victim’s statement asking that creditors call
you before opening any new accounts or changing your existing accounts. At the same
time, order copies of your credit reports from the credit bureaus. Credit bureaus
must give you a free copy of your report if your report is inaccurate because of
fraud and if you ask for it in writing. You can find there three major credit bureaus
here.
- Please note: Fraud alerts and victim statements are voluntary services provided
by the credit bureaus. Creditors do not have to consider them when granting
credit. That’s why it’s vital to continue checking your credit reports periodically.
In addition, fraud alerts and victim statements expire; you need to renew them periodically.
Ask each bureau about its policy.
- Second, close accounts that have been tampered with and open new ones with new
Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and passwords. Contact the creditors
for any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Ask to speak
to someone in the security or fraud department of each creditor, and follow up with
a letter. It’s particularly important to notify credit card companies in writing
because that’s what the consumer protection procedure the law spells out for resolving
errors on credit card billing statements.
- Third, file a report with your local police or the police in the community where
the identity theft took place. Get a copy of the police report. Very often,
the bank, credit card company or others need proof of the crime in order to erase
the debts created by the identity thief. If you can’t get a copy of the report,
at least get the report number.
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