Contacting The Local Police
About Your Identity Theft

Police Reports and Identity Theft Reports

An Identity Theft Report is a police report with an additional amount of detail. It includes enough detail about the identity theft crime for the credit reporting companies and the businesses involved to verify that you are a victim.  It also tells them which accounts were affected and what inaccurate information was created by the identity theft.  This report would be filed with the police in the community where the Identity Theft took place.

For more information, see the topic on Filing an Identity Theft Report.

Standard police reports usually don’t have all of the details about the accounts that were opened or misused by the identity thieves.  The FTC has an Identity Theft Complaint Form that can be filled out online that will capture the additional data needed to create an Identity Theft Report. 

The police are not legally required to use the FTC’s Identity Theft Complaint Form as part of their report, so they may have another method or form that they use to capture the necessary details of your identity crime.  In this situation, the police report by itself might serve as the Identity Theft Report.

Be sure to get a copy of the official police report that incorporates or attaches your Identity Theft Complaint. You will need to give copies to creditors and the credit bureaus.

Contacting The Police

Call your local police department and tell them that you want to file a report on your identity theft.  Ask them if you can file the report in person. If you can't, then ask them if they have a website where you can file a report online or if you can file it over the telephone.

A police report is needed to obtain copies of the thief’s applications and transaction information from companies that dealt with the thief.  To get this information you will have to submit a written request to each company, accompanied by the police report.
The FTC has a model letter that you can use.

When you go to your local police department to file your report, take a copy of:

1. The FTC Identity Theft Complaint Form
2. Supporting Documentation
3. A cover letter.  The cover letter should explains why a police report and an ID Theft Complaint are so important to Identity Theft victims. The FTC has a sample cover letter that you can use.

Ask the officer to attach or incorporate the Identity Theft Complaint Form into their police report.

Tell them that you need a copy of the Identity Theft Report (which is the police report with the Identity Theft Complaint Form attached or incorporated) to dispute the fraudulent accounts and debts created by the identity thief.  In some locals, the officer will not be able to give you a copy of the official police report, but should be able to sign a copy of your Identity Theft Complaint and then write the police report number in the “Law Enforcement Report” section. Be sure to keep a copy of the police report number

What If The Police Only Accept Reports Filed On The Internet or By Telephone?

The FTC Identity Theft Complaint Form has a special section for police reports that have to be filed online or over the telephone.  This section is the “Automated Report Information” block of the Identity Theft Form and it will help you supplement an automated police report. 

Attach a copy of any filing confirmation that you receive from the police.   If you have a choice, it is best to file your report in person and not by an automated report system because it is more difficult for the consumer reporting agencies and information providers to verify your information in an automated report.  If they can't do the verification, then they will probably require more information and/or documentation.

What If The Local Police Won't Take A Report?

Some states require the police to take reports on identity theft.  You can check the Blue Pages of your telephone directory for the phone number of your State Attorney General's office  or check the National Association of Attorney Generals website to find out if your state has this law.

There are efforts at the federal, state and local level to ensure that local law enforcement agencies understand its impact of Identity Theft on victims and the importance of taking a police report.  However, some departments still do not take reports.

Here are some tips to help you get a report taken if the department is reluctant:

• Furnish as much documentation as you can to prove your case, including  credit reports, debt collection letters, a copy of your printed FTC Identity Theft Complaint Form, and other evidence of fraudulent activity.  All this documentation can help demonstrate the validity of your case.
• Provide the police a copy of the FTC's Consumer Rights Summary: "Remedying the Effects of Identity Theft," which shows that police reports are necessary to secure your rights.
• Be persistent if the local authorities tell you that they can't take a report.
  1. Stress the importance of a police report.  Tell them many creditors will require one to resolve your dispute.
  2. Remind them that consumer reporting companies will automatically block the fraudulent accounts and bad debts from appearing on your credit report, but only if you can give them a copy of the police report.
  3. Let them know that a police report may be required to obtain the fraudulent applications and other records from the business.
• If you're told that identity theft is not a crime under your state law, then instead, file a "Miscellaneous Incident Report".
• If the local police won't take a report, then try your county police and then your state police.

Additional Resources

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