Reporting fraud
Put a fraud alert on your credit reports
A fraud alert can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you. (However, it may delay your ability to obtain credit since businesses must verify your identity and may try to contact you directly before issuing you credit.) You can place a fraud alert in your file by calling any of the three credit reporting agencies listed below. Once that agency processes your fraud alert, it will notify the other two to do the same.
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
There are two types of fraud alerts:
An initial alert stays on your credit report for at least 90 days and can be used 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. You're entitled to one free credit report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies.
An extended alert stays on your credit report for seven years. You can have an extended alert placed on your credit report if you've been a victim of identity theft and you provide the consumer reporting company with an Identity Theft Affidavit (see below). You're entitled to two free credit reports within 12 months 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.
Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you may also ask that only the last four digits of your Social Security number appear on your credit reports. Once you get your credit reports, review them carefully for errors in your personal information and for unexplained accounts and debts. Continue to check your credit reports annually to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.
Contact your financial institution(s)
Call and speak with someone in the security or fraud department of each company at which you know or believe accounts in your name have been tampered with or opened fraudulently; you can contact Arsenal Credit Union at 314.962.6363 (or toll-free 1.800.719.6363). Close the accounts you believe have been have been affected by fraud. Follow up in writing, and include copies (NOT originals) of supporting documents. Send your letters by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can document what the company received and when. Keep a file of your correspondence and enclosures.
When you open new accounts, use new Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and passwords. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number or phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.
If the identity thief has made charges or debits on your accounts or on fraudulently opened accounts, ask the company for the forms to dispute those transactions. For new unauthorized accounts, ask if the company accepts the ID Theft Affidavit (see below). If not, ask the representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms.
Once you have resolved your identity theft dispute with the company, ask for a letter stating that the company has closed the disputed accounts and has discharged the fraudulent debts. This letter is your best proof if errors relating to this account reappear on your credit report or you are contacted again about the fraudulent debt.
File a police report
File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. (To find a police department in Missouri, go to http://www.ago.mo.gov/policesheriffs/d.htm.) Get a copy of the report or, at the very least, the number of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.
If the police are reluctant to take your report, ask to file a miscellaneous incidents report, or try another jurisdiction like your state police.
Complete an identity theft affidavit
The Federal Trade Commission has developed an ID Theft Affidavit (http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/pdf/affidavit.pdf) to make it easier for fraud victims to report information. Many companies will accept this if a new account has been opened fraudulently in your name. Be sure to contact each company before submitting the form. (If there have been unauthorized charges on an account that you opened, contact the company for the correct form or instructions.)
File a complaint with the FTC
By sharing your identity theft complaint with the FTC, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement officials across the nation track down and stop identity thieves. The FTC can refer victims' complaints to other government agencies and companies for further action, as well as investigate companies for violations of laws the agency enforces.
You can file a complaint online at www.consumer.gov/idtheft, through the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline (toll free) at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338) or TTY 1-866-653-4261, or by mail at Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.
Be sure to call the hotline to update your complaint if you have any additional information or problems.
The recommendations above have been modified from the Federal Trade Commission's publication Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft.