Victims of identity theft must act quickly to minimize their damage.
Police say it’s important to keep good notes of conversations, records and correspondence with financial institutions and law enforcement agencies. That includes a log of the names, dates and phone number of persons the victim contacted. Victims also should confirm the information in writing. Sending letters by certified mail and a return receipt requested, will provide victims with a record of all correspondence.
What to do about identity theft: Report the crime immediately. Obtain your credit report. Contest fraudulent bills. Access fraudulent account information. Clear your name of false civil and criminal judgments.
Contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus and report that your identity has been stolen. Ask that a “fraud alert” be placed in your file. Here is the contact information for the credit bureaus: ■Trans Union — (800) 680-7289 P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19016-1000. ■Experian (formerly TRW) — (888) 397-3742 P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013. ■Equifax — (800) 525-6285 P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA 30348 If you have had checks stolen or bank accounts set up fraudulently, report it to the appropriate check verification companies. Put stop payments on any outstanding checks that you are unsure of. Cancel your checking and savings accounts and obtain new account numbers. Give the bank a secret password for your account (not mother’s maiden name). If your own checks are rejected at stores where you shop, contact the check verification company that the merchant uses. ■CheckRite: (800) 766-2748 ■Chexsystems: (800) 428-9623 ■CrossCheck: (800) 843-0760 ■Equifax: (800) 437-5120 ■International Check Services: (800) 631- 9656 ■SCAN: (800) 262-7771 ■TeleCheck: (800) 710-9898 Get a new ATM card, account number and password. When creating a password, don’t use common numbers like the last four digits of your social security number or your birth date. Monitor your account statement. You may be liable if fraud is not reported quickly.
File a police report with the police department in the city where the identity theft occurred Get a copy of the police report and keep it for your records. Credit card companies and financial institutions may require you to show a copy of this report to verify the crime. Keep the phone number of your investigator and provide it to creditors and others who require verification of your case.
For any accounts that have been fraudulently accessed or opened, contact the billing inquiries and security departments of the appropriate creditors or financial institutions. Close these accounts. Use passwords — not your mother’s maiden name — on any new accounts opened. Confirm your contact in writing. Ask that old accounts be processed as “account closed at consumer’s request.” Have a “card lost or stolen” reference because when the statement is reported to credit bureaus, it can be interpreted as blaming you for the loss. Carefully monitor your mail and credit card bills, and report immediately any new fraudulent activity to credit grantors.
As victim of identity theft, you may obtain a free copy of your credit report and should monitor activity every few months.
Ask the credit bureaus for names and phone numbers of credit grantors with whom fraudulent accounts have been opened. Ask the credit bureaus to remove inquiries that have been generated due to the fraudulent access. Other consumers seeking a copy of their credit report may be charged a fee. ■Equifax — (800) 685-1111 ■Experian (formerly TRW) — (888) 397- 3742 ■Trans Union — 800-888-4213 Under state law, a consumer submitting a valid police report can have the credit-reporting agency block the reporting of any information that the consumer alleges appears on the credit report as a result of identity theft. You also may want to ask the credit bureaus to notify those who have received your credit report in the last six months in order to alert them to the disputed and erroneous information.
Consumer and privacy advocates suggest not paying any portion of a bill, which is a result of identity theft. Also, do not file for bankruptcy. This will involve disputing credit card charges with the card company by writing to the address for “billing error” disputes — not the bill payment address.
You should follow the directions given by the credit card company for disputing charges. The company must provide this information. Your credit rating should not be permanently affected, and no legal action should be taken against you as a result of identity theft. If any merchant, financial institution or collection agency suggests otherwise, simply restate your willingness to cooperate, but don’t allow yourself to be coerced into paying fraudulent bills.
Report such attempts to government regulators immediately.
If a loan, credit or utility service account has been opened fraudulently in your name, you now can obtain a copy of the application used and a record of transactions or charges associated with that account. The information you learn may be useful in determining what personally identifying information was stolen, help clear your good name and credit, and even lead to the identity of the thief.
The following is a checklist for accessing account information: ■File a police report that you believe you are a victim of identity theft. ■Keep a copy of the police report. ■Fill out the request forms provided by the law enforcement agency or use the fraudulent account information request form ■Fill out the identity theft affidavit ■Send completed package to each creditor where the thief opened an account using your stolen identity. ■Provide account information you receive to the police officer investigating your identity theft case.
Sometimes victims of identity theft are wrongfully accused of crimes committed by the identity thief. If a civil judgment has been entered in your name for actions taken or debts incurred by your impostor, contact the court where the judgment was entered and report that you are a victim of identity theft.
If you are wrongfully prosecuted for criminal charges, contact the state Department of Justice and the FBI and obtain information on how to clear your name. The California Department of Justice has established a statewide data base to provide certain information about identity theft crimes to victims and law enforcement agencies.
California Office of Privacy Protection Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Federal Deposit Insurance Commission Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Privacy Rights Clearinghouse U.S. Comptroller of the Currency U.S. Justice Department U.S. Postal Inspection Service U.S. Public Interest Research Group U.S. Secret Service http://caag.state.ca.us/idtheft/tips.htm Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs: (213) 974-1452 Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office: Consumer Protection Division (213) 580-3273 http://da.co.la.ca.us/cpd/ Identity theft pamphlet: http://da.co.la.ca.us/cpd/forms.htm
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 11, 2003. Read the original PDF.