Identity Theft

 

Helping Victims

1. File a report in the jurisdiction where the fraud occurred 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.



Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
1-800-525-6285
www.equifax.com

Experian (TRW)
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com

TransUnion Corp
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
1-800-680-7289
www.transunion.com


• 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.


Courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission Website