Documenting Your Identity Theft Case

If you are a victim there are five steps in documenting your Identity Theft case that you should not hesitate to take right now!

Step 1.
Credit Report Fraud Alert Helpline

First of all, you should review your credit report and place your credit report on fraud alert. A fraud alert protects you from an identity thief being able to open up any more illegal accounts under your name.

There are three companies that you can call, toll-free, to have your credit report put on fraud alert. If you call one of the three companies they are required by law to notify the other two companies of the alert.

You should receive a confirmation from the company that a fraud alert has been put into effect. If the company does not send you confirmation you should call them directly.

A fraud alert is your first line of protection, after your information has been wrongfully stolen, from an identity thief.

You should alert one of the following three companies in order to begin a fraud alert: TransUnion at 1-800-680-7289 or Equifax at 1-800-525-6285 or Experian at 1-888-397-3742.

Step 2.
Get Your Credit Report

After a fraud alert has been established you are entitled to a free credit report from each of these three companies. Make sure to carefully look over your credit report, looking for any fraudulent accounts or loans. The main thing to pay attention to would be loans, credit cards, or bank accounts that you did not open.

Any fraudulent information needs to be erased from your credit report to restore your good credit rating. It is very important to check your credit reports every few months.

Step 3.
Close Fraudulent Accounts

Your next step to overcoming the traumatic affects of identity theft is to close any accounts that have been opened or tampered with. You can do this by speaking with the fraud department of each fraudulent entry on your credit report. Explain your situation and the fact that you want to close the account. After this conversation you should write the company and send them copies of statements from the fraudulent accounts. All letters should be sent certified mail only; this will protect you in case you are forced to go to court.

Keep a record of all of the telephone calls, correspondence and receipts. This is your main form of evidence.

Step 4.
Credit Card Fraud Reporting How To

If an identity thief made fraudulent charges on your accounts, get a form to dispute all of those charges. The form should be mailed to the credit card company's billing department under the heading "billing inquiries". The company may have already reported the activity on your credit report and if so you will have to go about correcting that particular information. When you report credit card fraud, the company should send you a letter that they have closed the account.

Step 5.
What to do next? File Complaints With The Authorities!

A complaint should be filed with the Federal Trade Commission by every victim of identity theft. The information you provide the Federal Trade Commission allows members of law enforcement to track down and punish identity thieves. This is the only way to stop identity theft from reoccurring. The Federal Trade Commission takes your compliant to other companies and government agencies for investigation and action purposes. A compliant can be filed by using the Federal Trade Commission's online form or by calling them at 1-877-438-4338. This number goes directly to their Identity Theft Hotline. If the identity thief strikes again it would be wise for you to file an additional compliant.

Lastly, it is crucial that you file an identity theft report with your local police department. Keep a copy of the initial police report for your own personal file. Companies may want you to show them a copy of this to prove that there was a crime committed. The police officer handling your compliant should not only give you a copy of the police report but also an Identity Theft Report. It is extremely important that they fill out an Identity Theft Report.

Documenting Your Identity Theft Case Summary.

All of these steps are critical in order to start putting the pieces of your life back together after an attack of identity theft. It is a shame that anyone must suffer through this process. Through the complaints of identity theft victims and the dedicated work of law enforcement officials this may one day be a crime committed only in the past.

You get one free copy of your credit report as mentioned above, but you need more! Get as many copies as you need as often as you need them to keep updated as well as email notices when someone tries to access your credit report or open a new account in your name. Be proactive to protect your credit.