Dealing with Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of those crimes in America that is growing at a steady pace. At times people don’t realize that they have been a victim to identity theft until after a long time. You need to check your credit report regularly in order to keep yourself away from identity theft.


If you have not been receiving the concerned bills or other mails then you might be a victim to identity theft. You might also be a victim if you receive credit cards that you did not apply. Many people realize that their identity has been stolen when they apply for loans or credit and their applications are rejected or denied. If you have not been keeping an eye on your credit report for a long time and you have no idea why you are being served court papers and arrest warrants, then that is a clear case of identity theft. Similarly if you get calls or letters regarding the payments of things you did not purchase then you are definitely staring into an identity theft.


Things to do if your identity has been stolen

1. You are required to place a fraud alert with all the three credit reporting bureaus on your credit report. Put in a victim’s statement to your credit report in order to get the bureaus to contact you regarding the verification of your future credit applications.

2. Have all the inaccurate information corrected in your credit report. You need to request the bureaus to remove the inquiries from your credit report that were not initiated by you. Make sure that your personal details like your name, address and S.S.N are correct.

3. Inform your credit card issuers: Make sure that you inform the credit card companies and apply for replacement credit cards. Close all your old accounts and write a letter to the credit card issuers explaining them the reason for your actions.

4. Report the theft to the police and get a police report copy. Most importantly report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission: Consumer Response Center
Federal Trade Commission

600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20580
Toll-free: 1.877.FTC.HELP
TDD: 202.326.2502
www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.htm


For more information about your credit report and identity theft please visit www.reliacredit.com.