What to do if you are a victim of identity theft

 

Includes info for US - UK - CA - AU If the worst has happened and you find out you have indeed been a victim of identity theft (or have reason to suspect it) you must take IMMEDIATE action to control the damage. Report to the Credit Bureaus If you are a victim of identity theft you must report it immediately to one of the three major credit bureaus. You only need to call one bureau to place the fraud alert and they will forward the information to the other two. Your SSN will be flagged for 90 days to prevent a thief from trying to obtain new credit with your identification. If you are certain that your identity has been stolen you can request an extended fraud alert. The extended fraud alert will remain on your report for seven years and will require you to submit an identity theft police report.  Flagging your account will alert potential creditors to take steps to protect you. This will also delay the credit approval process. The three bureaus are:  o Equifax: 1-800-525-6285  www.equifax.com P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241  o TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790 o Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) www.experian.com P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013 You will be asked for your SSN and other identifying information through an automated service. The alert will be passed on to the other two bureaus and all three credit bureaus will send you a letter to confirm the fraud alert is in place.  You will also be given directions for obtaining your credit report for free from each of the bureaus. The credit reports will have a telephone number listed on them if you need to contact the bureaus about fraudulent activity listed on the reports. Get Copies of Your Credit Report Send for your credit reports following the instructions from the credit bureaus. Review the reports carefully. Look for creditor’s names that you did not request credit from. Also check your personal information; SSN, address, name, initials and employer information.  Order your credit report at least every three months for the first year of the fraud. Some areas provide a free report every 12 months. Other areas will give you several free reports for the year you report an identity theft. Some will charge for each report. Tell them you are an identity theft victim and ask for a free report. File a Police Report Keep records of the fraudulent activity as proof for your report. Blackout unrelated activity and give copies to the police. Give them any new evidence as it turns up and keep a copy of the report as proof for creditors and the credit bureaus. Collect Account Information Contact the creditors who issued accounts to the identity thief. The Police may give you a form to request the information. Send a copy of the police report and the account statements to the creditor. Pass any new information over to the police. Close the Accounts For NEW Accounts created by the thief: Call the creditors (including credit cards, department stores and cell phone accounts) and ask for their security or fraud department. Tell them you are an identity theft victim and ask them to close the accounts and report the closing to the credit bureau. If the account has already been used by the thief ask them not to hold you responsible for the debt. For EXISTING Accounts used fraudulently by a thief: Close the accounts and ask the creditors to report the closing to the credit bureaus. Request that they declare the account “closed at consumer’s request”. If you open a new account don’t use personal information like your mother’s maiden name or your SSN for a password. If those are the only options request to use a different password. Alert Government Agencies If your driver’s license or other government ID has been stolen report it to the proper agency to cancel it and order a replacement. Ask that your information be flagged so that no one else can get copies. Complete an Identity Theft Affidavit In order to remove the debts created by the identity theif you will need to send an affidavit to the company or creditor holding the debt. When you contact them to close the accounts ask what forms they require. The affidavit permits them to investigate the claim – it does not ensure that the debt will be cleared. While each business may have its own requirements you can also obtain a free affidavit form at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf. Ask the business if they will accept this form or need you to fill out one of theirs. Send the copies of the affidavit and supporting documents to the businesses (a separate form should be created for each account or institution responsible for providing the identity thief with credit).  Do not send original bank or card statements. Blackout any information on the statements not related to the account. Send a copy of each affidavit and the police report to the credit bureaus. Write a letter requesting the information you declared was a result of theft be blocked or removed from your credit report. Report Stolen Mail If you believe that your mail has been stolen you must contact the nearest Postal Inspector. You can look for the number in your white pages under Government Services, call 1-800-ASK-USPS or search online at http://www.usps.com/ncsc/locators/find-is.html.  While the information above is provided for those living in the US the steps are nearly the same in other countries.  Here are some links and numbers to credit and  police agencies in the UK, Canada and Australia. Contact Numbers for the UK If you are a victim of identity theft in the UK use the following contact information; Credit Bureaus · Call Credit: 44 (0) 113 244 1555 www.callcredit.co.uk/ Callcredit plc, One Park Lane, Leeds. West Yorkshire, LS3 1EP.  · Equifax: 0870 010 2091 for the CIFAS Protective Registration Service www.equifax.co.uk/ Credit File Advice Centre PO Box 1140, Bradford, BD1 5US · Experian: 0870 241 6212 (M-F 8-6, Sat 9-1) www.experian.co.uk/ Experian Ltd, PO Box 9000, Nottingham, NG80 7WP Police File a report at your local Police Station. Locate the closest station at http://police.uk.  Contact Numbers for Canada If you are a victim of identity theft in Canada use the following contact information; Credit Bureaus · Trans Union Canada: 1-877-525-3823 (Quebec Residents: 1-877-713-3393) www.tuc.ca  · Equifax Canada: 1-800-465-7166 www.equifax.ca  Equifax Canada Inc. Consumer Relations Department, Box 190 Jean Talon Station, Montreal, Quebec, H1S 2Z2 Hotline PhoneBusters National Call Centre – with a mandate to gather information and intelligence about identity theft PhoneBusters will provide advice and assistance. Contact Numbers for Australia If you are a victim of identity theft in Australia use the following contact information; Credit Bureaus · Baycorp Advantage: (02) 9464 6000 www.baycorpadvantage.com Public Access Division Credit Reference Association of Australia PO Box 966, NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2060 · Dun and Bradstreet (Australia) Pty Ltd: 13 23 33 www.dnb.com.au Attention: Public Access Centre PO Box 7405, St Kilda Rd VIC 3004 The Australian Crime Commission The Australian Crime Commission operates an Identity Fraud intelligence facility that can assist victims in notifying some Australian and State government agencies that their identity has been stolen.  Tel: (02) 6243-6666 Contact your local police for instruction if the information for your country is not listed or is incorrect. Take care. Warmly, Ken Mathie.