Identity Theft Victim's Checklist
12 Steps To Recovery
Proving That You Are An Identity Theft Victim
In order to prove that you are an Identity Theft Victim, you will
need "information about" or "copies of":
- Credit Applications
- Account
Applications and/or
- Transaction Records related to the theft of your
identity.
These records or documents may also contain
information about the identity thief that will be valuable to the
police.
For example: Showing that a
signature on an application is not yours.
By law,
if you submit your request in writing accompanied by a police
report, companies must provide you with a copy of the application or
other business transaction records relating to your identity theft
Here is the web address of the
FTC's model letter which can be used to obtain this information
from businesses.
12 Steps To Recovery
If you are a victim of identity theft, you should take steps to respond to
the theft and to recover from it as soon as you suspect it has
occurred. Keep records of the details of all of your
conversations and keep copies of all correspondence relating to the
recovery actions that you take.
Below are steps that will help you get on your
Road to Recovery.
1. Report The Fraud To The Three National Credit Agencies
Report an identity theft to all three of the major credit
agencies by calling them toll-free on the fraud numbers
listed below. You will not be able to speak to anyone on your first
call but will reach an automated telephone system.
The system will ask you for your Social Security number and other information to identify
yourself. The automated system will allow you to flag your file with a
fraud alert for all three credit agencies. This flag will help stop a thief from
opening new accounts in your name. The alert
will stay on your file for 90 days.
Each of the credit agencies will send you a letter confirming your
fraud alert and they will give you instructions on how to get a copy of your
credit report. As a victim of identity theft, these report will be
free. Included with each report will be a
telephone number that you can call to speak with someone in the credit
agency's fraud department.
- Experian 1-888-397-3742
- Equifax 1-800-525-6285
- TransUnion 1-800-680-7289
Once you notify the credit agencies about the fraudulent
accounts:
- The agency is required to block that information from future
reports
- The agency must notify the credit grantor of the fraudulent
account.
2. Write A Letter To The National Credit Agencies.
After you make your phone calls, write a letter to each credit
agency. In the letter, include the following:
- Repeat what you stated in
your telephone call. (see above).
- Include copies of your police report
and completed ID Theft Affidavit.
- Remind the credit agencies that
because you are an Identity Theft Victim, they must remove or block any information that you
say is a result of the theft.
- Instruct the credit agencies to remove inquiries that have
been generated due to the fraudulent access.
- You can also ask the credit bureaus to notify those who have
received your credit report in the last six months to alert them
to the disputed and erroneous information.
Send your letters by
certified mail with a return receipt requested. Keep a copy of each
letter.
In all communications with the credit bureaus, you will want to
refer to the unique number assigned to your credit report
Equifax P.O Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Experian P.O. Box 9532 Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion P.O. Box 6790 Fullerton, CA 92834
You can also dispute items with the credit agencies
online. Go to their websites and look for the topic of “dispute”:
www.equifax.com
www.experian.com
www.transunion.com.
3. Carefully Review Your Credit Reports
You should receive a report from all three credit agencies.
Read through them carefully
Be sure to save all credit reports as part of your fraud
documentation file.
- Look
for accounts you do not recognize.
- Look in the Inquiries Section for
the names of creditors from whom you have not requested credit.
- You might
find some inquiries identified as “promotional.” Promotional
inquiries are not signs of fraud. These happen when a
company gets your name and address from a credit bureau so they can
send you an offer of credit. When you call in to report your
identity theft, your name will be
automatically removed from the mailing list that enables you to receive
these unsolicited
credit offers.
- Also look in
the Personal Information Section and verify your
name, address, and Social Security number.
Report fraudulent accounts and erroneous information in writing
to both the credit bureaus and the credit issuers following the
instructions provided with the credit reports. Ask the credit
agencies for the names and phone numbers of credit grantors with
whom fraudulent accounts have been opened if this information is not
included on the credit report.
If you see anything you do not understand, then call the credit
agency
at the telephone number that is listed on the report. Tell them you want to
remove or block any information on the report that is the result
of the identity theft. You may have to send them a police
identity theft report
to support your request.
Order new credit reports approximately every three
months until your theft situation has cleared up. They may request
that you
pay about $10 for each of these additional reports, but tell them you
are an Identity Theft Victim and ask for free copies.
4. Monitor Your Credit Reports
Be aware that credit issuers do not always pay attention to fraud alerts, even
though the law now requires it. Thus, it is highly recommended that you
check your credit reports again in a few months.
The federal FACTA law enables you to receive one free credit
report per year from each of the three credit agencies. This is
in addition to the free reports you get when you place fraud
alerts on your three credit reports. Once you have received your
free credit reports as a part of the fraud-alert process, you should follow up
in a few months by taking advantage of your free FACTA copy.
It is
recommended that you order your free credit reports by phone rather
than using the online system.
Continue to check your credit reports periodically, especially
for the first year after you discover the identity theft, to make
sure no new fraudulent activity happens.
5. Requesting A Credit Freeze (Security Freeze)
Contact the three national credit reporting agencies and place a
"Credit Freeze"
on your credit reports. When you
freeze your credit reports you can stop credit issuers from
accessing your credit files, except when you give permission. This
effectively prevents thieves from opening up new loan accounts and credit card accounts.
In most states, there is no charge for a Credit Freeze for identity theft victims.
There is a small fee for
non-victims.
Some states make the Credit Freeze available only to identity
theft victims. See more about
Credit Freezes.
6. Requesting A Fraud Alert
In addition to a Credit Freeze, you can also place a Fraud Alert
on your credit reports. When you notify one
of the agencies that you are a victim of identity theft (or at risk
of being a victim), they are required
to notify the other two agencies for you. Placing a fraud alert means
that your file will be flagged and that creditors will be required
to call you before extending credit.
It is recommend that you do not call Experian. You will be
given a marketing pitch for their "free" credit management
tools. If you fail to cancel the service within 30 days, your credit
card will automatically be charged for the service.
If you place an Initial Fraud Alert
on your credit report, this will allow you to
receive one free credit report from each of the three major
consumer reporting agencies when you request it. Under new
provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act,
you can place an initial fraud alert for only 90 days.
Each of the credit agencies will then mail you a notice of your
rights as an identity theft victim. If you do not receive a
confirmation from a company, you should contact them directly and
ask them to place a fraud alert. You can also ask them to only allow
the last four digits of your Social Security number to appear on
your credit reports.
You can then have an Extended Fraud Alert
put on your credit report if you have been a victim of identity
theft and it will stay on your credit report for seven years.
But prior to getting an Extended Fraud Alert put on your credit
report, you will first have to send them:
- Evidence of attempts to open fraudulent accounts in your
name
- An Identity Theft Report. See
Filing an Identity Theft
Report.
If you have an extended fraud alert, then potential creditors
must contact you or meet with you in person before they can issue
any credit that was requested.
Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any
more accounts in your name. For more information on Fraud
Alerts, so the topic on Fraud Alerts.
7. Close All Tampered or Fraudulently Opened Accounts
If an identity thief has made debits or charges on your
accounts, or has fraudulently opened accounts using your name, then ask the company for
the forms you need to dispute those transactions:
- For charges and debits on existing accounts, ask the
representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms. If
the company doesn't have a special form, then you can use the
FTC sample letter to
dispute the fraudulent charges or debits. Mail the
letter
to the company's "billing inquiries" address.
- For new unauthorized accounts, you can either file a dispute
directly with the company or file a report with the police and
provide a copy, called an “Identity Theft Report,” to the
company.
- If you file a dispute directly with the company (and do not want to file a report with the police)
then find out if the
company accepts the
FTC’s ID Theft Affidavit.
- If they do not accept the FTC Affidavit, then ask them
to send you the company's fraud dispute form.
- Be aware that filing a report with the police and then
giving the company an Identity Theft Report
will give you more protection. For example, if the
company has already reported these unauthorized accounts or
debts on your credit report, then an Identity Theft Report
will force them to stop reporting the fraudulent
information.
Once you have resolved your identity theft dispute with the
company, ask them for a letter acknowledging that the company has closed the
disputed accounts and has discharged the fraudulent debts. This
letter is your best form of proof if more errors relating to this account
appear on your credit report or if you are contacted again about the
fraudulent debt.
8. Call The Creditors.
Call creditors of any accounts that the thief used or opened in
your name.
When you contact them, ask for the security or fraud department. Examples of
creditors are phone companies, credit card companies, other
lenders, utility companies and department stores. Inform them you are a
victim of
identity theft and ask them to not hold you responsible for new
accounts that were opened by the thief.
If your existing credit accounts were fraudulently used, then ask
the credit issuers to close those accounts and report them to
the credit agencies as being “closed at the consumer’s request.”
If you open a new
account, then
- Have it set up so access requires a PIN or password.
- Don’t use your birth date, the last four numbers of your SSN
or your mother’s maiden name for your password. These can
be easy for an identity thief to find out.
- Ask the creditors to give
you copies of the documentation on the fraudulent accounts
9. Write A Letter To The Creditors.
Follow up your phone conversation with a letter. It's important
that you notify banks and credit
card companies in writing. Send your letters by certified
mail with a return receipt requested. It is important that you document what
you sent the companies and when they received it.
- Include with your letter, copies (NOT originals) of any
supporting documents.
- Repeat what you stated in your telephone call to them.
- Include a copy of your
police report.
- Include a copy of your completed
ID Theft Affidavit (black out the account number of any
accounts with other creditors)
10. Should You File A Police Report?
An Identity Theft Report is a
police report with more than the usual amount of detail.
You may not need an Identity Theft Report if the thief made
charges on an existing account and you have been able to work with
the company to resolve the dispute. When an identity thief has
opened new accounts in your name, or where fraudulent charges have
been reported to the consumer reporting agencies, you should obtain
an Identity Theft Report so that you can take advantage of the
protections you are entitled to.
See the Topic Identity Theft
Police Report
for more information on filing an Identity Theft Report with the
police
11. Use the ID Theft Affidavit.
Creditors may ask you to fill out fraud affidavits. The Federal
Trade Commission’s ID Theft Affidavit is accepted by the credit
bureaus and by most major creditors. Send copies of the completed
form:
- To the credit bureaus
- To the police.
- To Creditors, where the thief made charges on your
account
- To Creditors, where the thief opened accounts in your name
The form is available on the FTC Web site at
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf.
12. File A Complaint With The FTC (Federal
Trade Commission)
The FTC keeps a database of identity theft cases that is used by
many law enforcement agencies.
If you have been a victim of Identity Theft, The FTC encourages
you to file a complaint with them.
See the topic on Filing an FTC
Complaint Form for detailed information on how to do this.
Additional Resources
For More Victims Help
See the Topic Additional Help For Victims
which has more information about:
- Stolen Bank Account Information
- Lost or Stolen ATM Information
- Lost or Stolen Checks
- Lost or Stolen Drivers License
- Lost or Stolen ID cards
- Stolen Mail
- Address Changes made by the Identity Thief
- Stolen Social Security Number
- Debt Collectors
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