Here are the top 6 resources at your disposal if you are a victim of identity theft.
1. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) – According to the FTC you need to take 4 steps when as soon as you realize you have become a victim of identity theft.
- Call one of the credit reporting agencies and place a fraud alert on your credit reports.
- Close all accounts that have been breached or opened fraudulently
- File a police report in the area you believe the crime was committed.
- File a complaint with the FTC
2. Social Security Administration (SSA): They have a fraud reporting form that you can download and send to the office of inspector general.
3. Local Law Enforcement – They may have a website with information on identity theft.
4. Internet Fraud Center (IFC)
5. Financial institutions and credit card companies – Credit card companies spend millions to prevent fraud and in most cases are happy to help their customers with identity theft prevention and resolution. As well, credit reporting agencies may be your first line of defense, since identity thieves are less likely to pay their bills.
6. Lawyers – An attorney who specializes in the Fair Credit Reporting Act may be able to help you restore your credit and name if you are finding creditors are not being cooperative.
Make sure you:
- Follow up in writing with all contacts you’ve made over the phone
- Use certified mail with a return receipt request
- Keep copies of all correspondence, and the originals of supporting documentation like police reports, and letters to and from creditors.
- Record the name of every person you talk to and what the person said and the date of the conversation (you can also record the conversation if you prefer)
- Set up an organized filing system so that you have fast access to your files
- Keep old files even after they are closed. Sometimes an error that was fixed reappears. You don’t want to go through everything again.
Fact Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions – Know your Identity Theft Rights
- You are entitled to one free credit report from each credit bureau each year and more if you are a victim of identity theft.
- You only need to make one call to place a fraud alert on your credit file. The other 2 bureaus will be identified.
- If you file a police report you will be able to block fraudulent information from appearing on your credit report
- As a victim, you have access to the business records that list and identify the identity thief’s transactions
- The credit reporting agencies must ensure that all requests for credit are legitimate after you flag your report as suspected of being a victim of identity theft
- Any person on active military duty overseas can place special alerts on their reports while deployed overseas
- Lenders and creditors are required to take action even before the victim realizes they are a victim of identity theft.
- Debt collectors are now required to report fraudulent information to creditors.
- You can request a fraud alert to be extended for 7 years
- Mortgage lenders must now provide key information on rejections
How to Interpret your Credit Report
To obtain your credit report you need to visit one of the credit bereau Web Site and complete the request form.
1.Experian: www.experian.com 1 (888) 397-3742
2.Equifax:
1800 685 1111
3.Transunion: 1 (800) 916-8800
Credit Report Sections
Personal Profile – Includes your legal name, Aliases, addresses, year of birth, and employers
Credit Summary is the total number of accounts that you have opened and closed in each category. Installment accounts are car loads, retail credit purchases, and mortgage loans. Revolving accounts are credit cards, lines of credit, and other credit types where you can take out an put back in money.
Credit Inquires are listed as hard or soft. You initiate hard inquiries when “You” apply for credit. “Soft” Inquiries are made by “perspective employers” when they do a background check and by credit card companies who do pre approved credit cards.
Account History contains account details of each account you have opened and closed.
Your credit score is based on the information in your report relating to your payment history and the number of credit accounts you have open. Also recorded is your debt to income ratio.
Anything you didn’t authorize should be reported immediately. However, in 25% of cases of identity theft the victim knows the thief, so some people prefer to do a little investigating on their own before calling in the guard.
If you suspect your internet privacy is vulnerable, you can check into our computer security section at www.stungunmikes.com