What should you do if you think your identity has been stolen?
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
- The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations.
- The FTC is the lead government agency for information about identity theft.
- Call the FTC identity theft hotline at 1-877-438-4338.
Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three major credit bureaus.
- The credit bureaus will place a fraud alert on your credit file, requesting creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts.
- Once the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will automatically be notified to place fraud alerts.
- All three credit reports will be sent to you free of charge.
Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
File a police report.
- Submit a copy of the report to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.
What should you do if you think your identity has been stolen and used inappropriately for tax purposes?
- Call IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
|