D. If you are a victim
If you become aware that you are or may
be a victim, act immediately; it is impossible
to overemphasize the importance of prompt
action. An excellent resource is the Federal
Trade Commission web site (www.ftc.gov).
Here are the first steps a
victim should take:
- Contact the fraud departments of the three major credit
bureaus. Tell them to flag your file with a fraud alert
stating that creditors should get your permission before opening
any new accounts in your name. Ask for copies of your credit reports.
The bureaus must give you free copies if they are inaccurate because
of fraud. After a few months ask for new reports to verify corrections
and changes and review for new fraudulent activity. Call any one
of the three major reporting bureaus, and follow up with a letter.
The numbers for reporting fraud to Equifax
and Trans Union are different from those
for requesting credit reports:
-Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; email: www.equifax.com
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374
-Experian: 1-888-397-3742 (1-888-EXPERIAN); email:
www.experian.com
-Trans Union: 10800-680-7289; email: www.tuc.com
Fraud Assistance Division
P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834
Make the call first and confirm with a follow-up letter.
- Contact all creditors with fraudulent accounts or charges
in your name. Ask for someone in the security or fraud
division and report what you know. Follow up with a letter; list
all charges that you did not make.
- File a report with the police or sheriff’s department
in your community or in the community where the identity theft
occurred (or both). Keep a copy. This is proof for the creditor
that you are doing what you can to apprehend the thief.
Sometimes older persons hesitate to take
this vital step because they fear the
thief is a child, grandchild or other
relative. That is understandable but foolish.
Failure to file a complaint does nothing
to build the character of the thief, may
encourage him or her to prey on others,
and generally can only make a sad situation
worse.
Additional Steps:
Contact the office of the Attorney General or Consumer Affairs
Advocate in your state. In Alabama, contact the office of the Alabama
Attorney General.
The AG's office has a very good check list for victims. Go to www.ago.state.al.us,
click on Consumer Affairs, select topic ID Theft. The Attorney General's Hotline is 1-800-392-5658
To request a form for filing a complaint
:
Call 1-800-392-5658 or 334-242-7334
Write: Consumer Affairs Section
Office of the Attorney General
11 South Union Street
Montgomery, AL 36130-0152 or
Contact the AG's office online:
www.ago.state.al.us/consumer/howtofile/cfm
Other suggestions from the FTC are preventive
as well as corrective; they are intended
to return control over your financial
affairs to you. Depending on how you know
or suspect a thief has obtained information,
you may need to
- Close bank accounts, credit card accounts, any other accounts. Set up new ones, with new PIN numbers. Do not use any part of your social security number, your birthday or any series of consecutive numbers for PINs.
- ? Get a post office box, or take mail to a collection box rather than leaving it out when you are not home.) If you leave for as much as three days, file a Hold Mail form with your letter carrier. The number for the U. S. Postal Inspector is 404-608-4500; or check www.usps.com.
- ? If you have lost your ATM card cancel it.
- ? If unauthorized calls are being made on your cell phone, contact the service provider to cancel the account and card and get new accounts.
- Contact check verification services:
TeleCheck - 1-800-710-9898
Certegy Inc. - 1-800-437-5120
International Check Services - 1-800-631-9656
? The number for the Social Security Administration is 1-800-772-1213, or on-line: 222.ssa.gov.
In short, try to
cut off every conceivable route the thief
may have for reaching your assets.
Contact the FTC. File a complaint any of three ways:
Call the Identity Theft Hotline, 1-877-IDTHEFT
(1-877-438-4338)
Write Identity Theft Clearinghouse
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania
Washington, D.C. 20580
Contact FTC online: www.consumer.gov.idtheft
The FTC also has excellent materials on prevention, steps for victims
to take, and general information on this and other topics. One helpful item is an Affidavit that you will need from time to time as you clear your credit.
The FTC site lists other contacts to make, such as alerting the postal service, check protection companies, passport officials, utilities and telephone/cell phone providers, and the Social Security Administration.
Finally, monitor your credit report regularly. You may have to pay for reports after the first one each year. The charge is not large. Some states have additional protective laws but Alabama does not.
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