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1. Take a report and classify it under your jurisdiction's identity theft or fraud code. A police report is critical in helping victims get rid of fraudulent debts and clear up their credit reports. If your state doesn't have an identity theft statute, take a Miscellaneous Incidents report or your jurisdiction's equivalent.
2. Advise victims to:
• Call the toll-free fraud number of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on their credit report. Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening additional accounts in victims’ names. As soon as the credit bureau confirms the fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will automatically be notified to place fraud alerts, and all three credit reports will be sent to the victim free of charge.
• Close the accounts that victims know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. When disputing new unauthorized accounts, many banks and creditors will accept the ID Theft Affidavit, which will save victims valuable time in the recovery process.
• File a complaint with the FTC using the online complaint form; or call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261; or write Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.
3. Give victims a copy of Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft, which tells consumers how to minimize the risk of and recover from identity theft. Request a free CD-ROM, which you can use to print copies with your department's logo on the cover.
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