Unfortunately, you have become a victim of identity theft.
These thieves can cause great damage to your financial status. Carry out the
following steps to minimize the damages of identity theft.

Prevent Identity Theft by Reviewing Credit Report

First step for identity theft prevention is to order your credit
reports. The credit bureaus provide you a free copy of your credit report
plus you can order a copy any time for a free
from the bureaus.
Review them to make sure no further fraudulent accounts have been opened. If
any information does not pertain to you, immediately contact the fraud departments for identity theft.

Identity Theft Victim Contact Creditors

In case of identity theft you will find some fraudulent accounts and should contact the creditors. Talk with their fraud department and always follow up in writing, creditors might have different set of rules so ask them for an explanation procedure for these accounts. For filing a case you might also be needed to sign an "Affidavit of Fraud" and provide documents such as police report, driver's license etc. papers from other creditors describing the accounts to be fraud accounts can also be requested. Once the accounts have been confirmed to be fraudulent, the creditor will send a letter of confirmation to the Big business bureau that identity theft has occured.



You should keep record of every thing that happens during identity theft prevention process like names, notes, what was discussed with which creditor and provide copies of the original documents to them.



Remember inquiries that are made on fraudulent accounts are removed from credit report when these accounts are confirmed to be fraudulent. .

Identity Theft Victim Contact Credit Reporting Agencies

Once fraudulent accounts have been identified you should contact the fraud departments of the three main credit bureaus. TransUnion fraud department is FVAD.

Actions taken

The credit bureaus immediately put your file in identity theft status and take the following steps.

• Within 24 ours your credit report from all three credit bureaus is put on a credit alert.
• Your name will be removed form the telemarketing list of all three credit reporting companies to stop any pre-approved credit offers for a period of five years.
• The three bureaus will provide you with a copy of your credit report within 3 days and will work with you to remove the fraudulent accounts.

Make sure that when you file with the credit bureaus for help against identity theft, you ask them to tell the creditors that they must not open any account without authentication of your identity.

Identity Theft Victim Contact Financial Institutions

Contact all of the financial institutions like banks and tell them that you have become a victim of identity theft. You will be asked to fill out affidavits of forgery so that your innocence can be proven with the financial institutions about the stolen checks.

Ask the financial institutions to close your check accounts to stop any further withdrawal of funds.

Identity Theft Victim Contact the Social Security Administration

If your social security number was stolen and used by a thief in order to procure money from your accounts then you should contact the social security Administration. The thief may use your SSN to apply for a job. Social security administration must be contacted and told to report your name correctly and to verify your reported income accurately. In case your SSN is being used to obtain a driving license then report to your DMV. In all the above cases you can ask social security administration to have your SSN changed which requires you to submit proper documents. However it is not recommended as you might face complications in future.

Identity Theft Victim Complete a Dispute Form

To resolve the fraudulent accounts you can write a dispute
letter. When the credit bureaus receive your documents and statements regarding
the fraudulent accounts, they take the necessary actions.

What to do with the accounts

If your check account has been accessed or a change in billing address on any pre existing account has been made, immediately close that account. Cancel the phone service account that does not belong to you but is billed to your phone because of identity theft.