Steps to Take for Identity Theft Victims

What steps should I take if I am a victim of identity theft? If you are a victim of identity theft, take the following five steps as soon as possible after filing your online police report, and keep a record with the details of your conversations and copies of all correspondence.

1. Place a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Reports & Review Your Credit Reports

Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name. Contact the toll-free fraud number of any of the three consumer reporting companies below to place a fraud alert on your credit report. You only need to contact one of the three companies to place an alert. The company you call is required to contact the other two, which will place an alert on their versions of your report, too. If you do not receive a confirmation from a company, you should contact that company directly to place a fraud alert.

Consumer Reporting Companies

Reports

Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you are entitled to order one free copy of your credit report from each of the three consumer reporting bureaus, and, if you ask, only the last four digits of your Social Security number will appear on your credit reports. Once you receive your credit reports, review them carefully. Look for inquiries from companies you have not contacted, accounts you did not open, and debts on your accounts that you cannot explain. Check that information, like your Social Security number, address(es), name or initials, and employers are correct. If you find fraudulent or inaccurate information, contact the credit bureau about how to have the information corrected.

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 has occurred.

2. Close the Accounts That You Know, or Believe, Have Been Tampered With or Opened Fraudulently

Call and speak with someone in the security or fraud department of each company. Follow up in writing, and include copies (NOT originals) of supporting documents. It's important to notify credit card companies and banks in writing. Send your letters by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can document what the company received and when. Keep a file of your correspondence and enclosures.

When you open new accounts, use new Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and passwords. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.

Tips

  • If the identity thief has made charges or debits on your accounts, or has fraudulently opened accounts, ask the company for the forms 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 special forms, write to the company at the address given for "billing inquiries," not the address for sending your payments.
  • 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 a "Financial Identity Theft" report, to the company.

Filing a Dispute

If you want to file a dispute directly with the company, and do not want to file a report with the police, ask if the company accepts the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) ID Theft Affidavit. If it does not, ask the representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms. However, filing a report with the police and then providing the company with a Financial Identity Theft report will give you greater protection. For example, if the company has already reported these unauthorized accounts or debts on your credit report, a police report will require them to stop reporting that fraudulent information.

Once you have resolved your identity theft dispute with the company, ask for a letter stating that the company has closed the disputed accounts and has discharged the fraudulent debts. This letter is your best proof if errors relating to this account reappear on your credit report or you are contacted again about the fraudulent debt.

3. File a Complaint With the U.S. Federal Trade Commission

You can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission using the online complaint form; or call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TTY: 866-653-4261; or write:
Identity Theft Clearinghouse
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20580

Be sure to call the Hotline to update your complaint if you have any additional information or problems.

Benefits of Filing a Complaint

By sharing your identity theft complaint with the FTC, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement officials across the nation track down identity thieves and stop them. The FTC can refer victims' complaints to other government agencies and companies for further action, as well as investigate companies for violations of laws the agency enforces.

Additionally, you can provide a printed copy of your online complaint form to the police to incorporate into their police report. The printed FTC ID Theft Complaint, in conjunction with the police report, can constitute an Identity Theft Report and entitle you to certain protections. This Identity Theft Report can be used to: (1) permanently block fraudulent information from appearing on your credit report; (2) ensure that debts do not reappear on your credit report; (3) prevent a company from continuing to collect debts that result from identity theft; 4 place an extended fraud alert on your credit report.

4. Enter Your Name Into the Identity Theft Data Base

Register your name into the California ID Theft Registry if you have been charged with a crime committed by another person using your stolen identity or if your identity has been mistakenly associated with a record of criminal conviction.

Once confirmed, your information would be entered into the new statewide data base and used to show others that you were actually not responsible for the crime. This information would be available via a toll-free number to the identity theft victim, criminal justice agencies and other individuals and agencies authorized by the victim to see the information.

5. File a Police Report for Identity Theft

You may file a report with the local law enforcement agency where you reside and be provided a copy of the report. If the incident happened in a different jurisdiction, the report may be referred to the law enforcement agency where the incident occurred for further investigation.

For Identity Theft or other Financial Crime incidents within the City of Woodland, you may choose to file a report online or file in person at the Woodland Police Department located at:
1000 Lincoln Avenue
Woodland, CA 95695

You may also call for an officer to meet you at you home by calling non-emergency Dispatch at 530-666-2411.