Identity Theft Help Is More Than A Phone Call Away
Right after you get off the phone with an irritating debt collector over an unpaid credit card bill for a card you never applied for not ever had, your first though may be that you have been the victim of identity theft. Help can be available from many resources, but there are certain things that you will need to do to insure a timely resolution to the issue of your identity being used by another person to obtain the benefits of your credit report.
One of the first things a victim needs to do is contact the identity theft help department at the three major credit reporting agencies. Understand that their fraud departments are going to take the allegations with a grain of salt, but once you report it, you can have a fraud alert placed on your account for 90 days. There will be other identity theft help steps you need to take to extend that alert for as much as seven years, and once you get off the phone with the credit reporting agency, and have some supporting information about the theft of your identity, you need to contact the local police and report the theft.
You may also want to contact law enforcement in communities where accounts were opened in your name as well. If the police department refuses to file an identity theft report, you can file a report with the U.S. Postal Inspector if the mail was used in any way in the theft. While the Federal Trade Commission offers no investigative identity theft help, they need to know about the incident to help track the theft and the persons that may be involved on a national level.
Maintain Copies Of All Filed Theft Reports
When you file identity theft reports, make sure to get a printed copy and keep them on hand to show to businesses and other creditors that may have opened an account in your name. You can also get identity theft help from creditors by notifying them by phone and in writing that the new account is not yours. New laws prevent accounts opened without your knowledge from being reported to the credit bureaus.
You should also immediately cancel all current credit cards and have new account numbers issued for your accounts in the event the identity thief has managed to obtain that information as well. You should also seek identity theft help from your bank for checking and saving account information. New accounts will often have to be opened in order to stop the use of the old one.
