If Your Identity Has Been Stolen
If you discover that your identity has been stolen, you must take immediate action. Get ready to make a series of telephone calls and to keep meticulous records of every conversation you have. You will relay this same information when you follow up with letters — which you will send certified mail, return receipt requested.
Also, keep track of the hours you spend in case the thief is caught and forced to pay retribution (including paying for your time). Begin by contacting the Federal Trade Commission to obtain free information on what you need to do.
Alert
In 2004, Internet “phishing” scams skyrocketed 1,000 percent in one year. According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), somewhere between 3 and 5 percent of victims are hooked by a “phishing” look-alike Web site or telephone or e-mail inquiry. If you are at all suspicious, don't click open any links, and call your credit card or banking institution immediately to verify the communication.
First, make sure you call all of your credit card providers, banks, savings, and investment companies as soon as possible to alert them, and then follow up with letters stating when you called and whom you spoke with and listing all fraudulent charges. It's also helpful to obtain a fraud affidavit on the FTC Web site to include with your letters. You may want to change account numbers on all your accounts, and definitely change PIN numbers and passwords.
Then, call at least one of the credit reporting agencies to report the fraud. They are required to notify the other two agencies and to send you a free credit report. Make sure they put a “fraud alert” on your report, and ask them if they can “freeze” any applications for credit until you request otherwise (some states have laws requiring credit agencies to accommodate your request, and some don't).
The next call you make is to your local police to report the theft — identity theft is a federal crime — and ask to file a report listing all the accounts affected and illegitimate charges. An official report will be invaluable if creditors contest charges at a later date, so if they balk at what can be a tedious and complicated task, offer to provide them with a typewritten list, plus copies of any and all documentation, and be politely persistent. If necessary, ask to speak with the city or county fraud unit or white-collar crime unit.
Fact
The National Do Not Call Registry, activated in 2003, limits the amount of marketing telephone calls you receive. You can list three lines by logging onto its website. If you only have one number, you can also call (888) 382-1222, but make sure you call from the line you are registering.
When you receive your credit report, call all the creditors or banks that are affected and ask them to promptly close all the phony accounts, making a notation that the account was fraudulent and that you were the victim of fraud. Also be sure to ask the banks to stop payment on any checks and notify check verification companies.
The minute you receive collection notices, contact the collection agencies to notify them of all fraudulent debts. Since they tend to be suspicious of delinquent customers' claims of fraudulent debts, it's best to send them letters, including copies of the police reports, and all other documentation.
Once you have taken all the measures possible, if any problems persist, hire a lawyer, and don't surrender any ground. You are a victim of a crime, not the offender, and you deserve the respect and support of the creditors. Collection agencies have strict guidelines on how they are permitted to seek payment. If a collector becomes threatening or abusive, let her know that she is breaking the law.
