What to Do if You're a Victim of Identity Theft and/or Fraud

1. Contact the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert and “victim statement” on your credit report. Order a copy of your report from each bureau and review for any inaccuracies.

2. Review your credit reports and close any accounts you believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Continue to review your credit reports every six months.

3. Change P.I.N. (Personal Identification Number) and passwords on existing accounts.

4. Contest all fraudulent accounts with the affected financial institution and/or business in writing and follow up by sending them the Federal Trade Commission’s Identify Theft Affidavit.

5. File police report and get a copy. The police report should identify all fraudulent activity.

6. Contact the Federal Trade Commission: at (877) IDTHEFT, or online. They will enter your complaint information into the national Identity Theft database and provide victim assistance and consumer education materials. Their website will also provide additional information about your rights as a victim and further explain all of the steps you will need to take to repair your good name.

7. Contact Social Security Administration Office at 800-269-0721 to establish credit or new accounts.

8. File a report with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at http://www.ic3.gov/

Repairing your credit may be a time consuming and frustrating undertaking. Keep a detailed log of every step you take. These records will be useful as you contest any fraudulent activity and for a law enforcement investigation.

*Additional websites with other tips, advice and scam alerts, as well as examples of scams are listed below:

https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/identity-theft/identity-theft-and-identity-fraud

https://www.antiphishing.org/report-phishing/

https://identitytheft.gov/

https://www.ftc.gov/

http://www.ic3.gov/