WHAT DO I DO?
WHAT DO I DO ABOUT CRIMINAL RECORDS MADE IN MY NAME?
WHAT IS A FRAUD ALERT?

 

WHAT DO I DO?

While there are no guarantees about avoiding identity theft, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk and minimize the damage if a problem occurs.

  • Contact one of the three credit reporting agencies and ask for a fraud alert to be placed on your credit report.  You only need to call one agency; it will automatically notify the other two agencies.

http://www.equifax.com 1-800-525-6285

http://www.experian.com 1-888 397-3742

http://www.tuc.com 1-800-680-7289

  • If you have discovered that someone fraudulently opened new accounts in your name, contact the financial institution that opened them and cancel them.  If you don't know how to reach the financial institution, the credit bureaus should be able to provide that information to you.
  • File a report with your local police department.
  • Contact all of the financial institutions that issue your bank cards, credit cards and checking/savings accounts to ensure that there are no fraudulent charges on your accounts.  Ask them to send you their company's fraud dispute form, which you will need to fill out, even if you speak to someone on the phone.  You will also need to provide them with a copy of your police report.
  • If your Social Security card is missing, contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or online at http://www.ssa.gov
  • If your medical/insurance cards are missing, contact your health insurance company.
  • File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which tracks incidents of identity theft.  1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338).  Also, complete an ID Theft Affidavit at http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft
  • For crimes involving your mail, contact your local post office. The number can be found by going to http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/ifvictim.htm or looking in the blue pages of your phone book under "United States Government, Postal Service."

AS YOU CONTACT EACH OF THESE INSTITUTIONS, KEEP A RECORD OF ALL CONVERSATIONS, INCLUDING THE DATE YOU CALLED, THE NAME OF THE PERSON YOU SPOKE WITH, AND THE OUTCOME OF THE CONVERSATION.

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WHAT DO I DO ABOUT CRIMINAL RECORDS MADE IN MY NAME?

Contact the arresting or citing law enforcement agency (i.e., the police or sheriff’s department that originally arrested the person using your identity, or the court agency that issued the warrant for the arrest).  You’ll need to file an impersonation report to confirm your identity and the police department may take a full set of your fingerprints, your photograph, and copies of any photo identification documents you have including your driver’s license, passport, and Visa.

The law enforcement agency should then recall any warrants and issue a “clearance letter” or certificate of release if you were arrested/booked. Keep this document with you at all times in case you’re wrongly arrested. Also, ask the law enforcement agency to file the record of the follow-up investigation establishing your innocence with the district attorney’s office and the court where the crime took place. Ask that the “key name” or “primary name” be changed from your name to the imposter’s name and that your name is noted only as an alias.

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WHAT IS A FRAUD ALERT?

There are two types of fraud alerts: an initial alert, and an extended alert.

  • An initial alert stays on your credit report for at least 90 days. You may ask that an initial fraud alert be placed on your credit report if you suspect you have been, or are about to be, a victim of identity theft. An initial alert is appropriate if your wallet has been stolen or if you've been taken in by a "phishing" scam. When you place an initial fraud alert on your credit report, you're entitled to one free credit report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies.

In addition, the consumer reporting companies will remove your name from marketing lists for pre-screened credit offers for five years unless you ask them to put your name back on the list before then.
To place either of these alerts on your credit report, or to have them removed, you will be required to provide appropriate proof of your identity: that may include your Social Security number, name, address and other personal information requested by the consumer reporting company.

When a business sees the alert on your credit report, they must verify your identity before issuing you credit. As part of this verification process, the business may try to contact you directly. This may cause some delays if you're trying to obtain credit. To compensate for possible delays, you may wish to include a cell phone number, where you can be reached easily, in your alert. Remember to keep all contact information in your alert current.

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