Who To Call If Your Identity Has Been Stolen

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Who You Should Call When Your Identity has been Stolen

So you’ve become a victim of identity theft. How do you start to retrieve your identity? It will depend on the area you live but there are four steps you should initiate as soon as possible. Keep a record of all correspondence and conversations you have as you try and track down your identity thief.

1. Contact the reporting companies of your country. There will be a contact number listed on their web sites. When you have contacted them you will place a fraud alert on your credit reports. Once this alert is on your file you can order free copies of your reports. Ask to have only the last four digits of your SSN appear on all your credit reports. An initial fraud alert will stay on your file for at least 90 days.  If you discover you have been a victim of identity theft and provide an identity theft report to the credit reporting company, you can have an extended alert placed on your file.  This extended alert will stay on your credit report for seven years.

2. Call all your account holders that you think have been tampered with and close them. Make sure you speak to someone in the security or fraud department of each company. If your credit cards, ATM card, check book or debit card has been stolen, contact the financial institution immediately and close the accounts. When you open new accounts, make sure you use a new password.

3. Contact your local police department and file a report with them. You may need to file your report under ‘Miscellaneous Incidents’ if the police are reluctant to take your report.  Otherwise contact the state or federal police department for action to be taken. You have a right by law to have your identity theft reported.

4. Call the Federal Trade Commission or equivalent in your country. Contacting this department will provide valuable information to law enforcement agencies that are tracking down identity theft rings. If mail fraud or theft is the issue you will need to call the Postal Inspector’s Office, not the local post office manager.

In all departments you speak to, while investigating your stolen identity, make sure you speak to the fraud investigator.

Make sure you keep a detailed diary of all calls you make and receive in the process of reporting this crime. Also keep a copy of all correspondence as well as a copy of all receipts of expenses made while on the trail of your stolen identity.