Identity theft occurs when someone uses your name, Social Security number, credit card number or other personal information without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. That’s why it’s important to protect your personal information.

You must report Identity Theft and work to get it resolved, whether that’s through your own efforts, or by having an attorney and licensed investigator go to work on your behalf.  You should report identity theft to your local police department as soon as you become aware that you are a victim. Get a copy of the police report which will assist you when notifying creditors, credit reporting agencies and if necessary, the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Even when the victim is aware of the misuse of their personal identity information, they may not report the crime to the FTC or other agencies for any of a variety of reasons. For example, because of the widespread belief among consumers that identity theft is limited to credit or bank fraud, non-financial ID theft may go unreported because victims don’t recognize those forms of identity misuse as ID theft.

The FTC provides an ID Theft Affidavit that can help you organize and accurately record your complaint. All three major credit bureaus and most of the large lenders accept this form as notice from you that your information has been misused. Call the FTC’s toll-free hotline at 1-877-IDTHEFT or complete an online complaint form.  Police will often incorporate the report you file with the FTC into their report

To better protect oneself from credit report identity theft, a person should take a few precautions when making transactions or handing out personal information over the Internet. Computers should be updated on a regular basis to keep current in firewall protection and the latest virus protection.

Guarding against credit and identity theft is more important now, than ever before . In part because the number of victims continues to multiply in huge numbers every month, but the law enforcement and resolution advocacy services don’t. So checking your credit report might tip you off to the crime. But, in the event that a thief is exclusively using your social security number to fraudulently obtain employment, you won’t find out about it until it’s too late…unless you purchase identity theft protection product.

The marks on your report will last for many years and you can find yourself financially responsible for the credit that was taken out if you do not report it as identity theft.

Remember to record dates, times, phone numbers, people you spoke with, and any relevant reference numbers and information. Correcting an ID theft can be a long and difficult process — do not rely on your memory.  Get a copy of the police report and retain for your records. Credit card companies and financial institutions may require you to show a copy of this report to verify the crime. Sending your letters by certified mail, return receipt requested, provides you with a record of your correspondence.

A creditor or other business must give you copies of applications and other business records relating to transactions and accounts that resulted from the theft of your identity, if you ask for them in writing. A business may ask you for proof of your identity, a police report, and an affidavit before giving you the documents

If your mail was stolen, then your may have credit cards in your name that were used in several places, you will need to make a report to the police where you live, and then in each jurisdiction the card was used.
You should place a fraud alert on your credit file. The fraud alert requests creditors contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts

Your credit rating should not be permanently affected, and no legal action should be taken against you as a result of identity theft. If any merchant, financial institution or collection agency suggests otherwise, simply restate your willingness to cooperate, but don’t allow yourself to be coerced into paying fraudulent bills
Among victims, 3.2 million experienced misuse of their existing credit card accounts. An additional 3.3 million said their non-credit-card accounts were misused.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 7:01 pm and is filed under Identity Theft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.