What Should You Do If Your Identity Has Been Stolen?
Step 1 – Place a fraud alert on your credit report
Do this by contacting the credit reporting agencies (numbers listed below). Having a fraud alert on your account ensures that businesses must verify your identity when accounts are open and they may contact you. Fraud alert will stay on your report for ninety (90) days.
Experian (888) 397-3742
Equifax (800) 525-6285
Transunion (800) 680-7289
Step 2 – Get Recent Credit Reports
You are allowed a free copy of your credit report if you are, or believe, to be a victim of identity theft. Just go to www.annualcreditreport.com
Step 3 – File a police report. Call your local police department and file a police report stating you are a victim of identity theft. In many cities you can file this police report online.
Step 4 – Complete an FTC Report Online. This form needs to be filled out if you have been a victim of identity theft and you need to send it to the Credit Reporting Agencies along with your police report to dispute any accounts resulting from identify theft.
You can complete the form online by going to: www.identitytheft.gov
Step 5 – Mail Your Dispute, Police Report, and FTC Identity Theft Report to each Credit Bureau (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian) by Certified Mail with Return Receipts. Credit Bureaus have 4 business days, after receiving your dispute, police report, and FTC Identity Theft Report to delete/block the identity theft accounts.
Step 6 – Sue the Credit Bureaus If They Did Not Remove the Fraudulent Accounts ! If your problem is not solved and the fraudulent accounts or information is not removed from your credit reports after your dispute then contact Shawn Jaffer & Associates Your Identity Theft Attorneys at our office to file a lawsuit on your behalf against the Credit Bureaus.