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If your personal information such as social security number, checking or credit card information etc has been used
without your consent, You are a victim of identity theft. This article will teach you all you need to know about preventing
and recovering from this devastating crime.
If you think that you might be a victim of Identity theft you are not alone. The FTC estimates that 9 million Americans
are victims of identity theft each year. Some people will have their credit card numbers stolen and hundreds to thousands
of dollars worth of debt to deal with. While others will have their social security numbers stolen and possibly have an entire
false life to contest including utilities, credit cards, bank accounts, false tax returns, social security claims and even
warrants for arrest!
How is my personal information stolen?
The first step in preventing Identity thefy is knowing how it is achieved. The FTC lists 6 main ways that thevies steal
your personal information
- Dumpster diving- Thieves will go through your trash looking for old bills or credit card statements hoping to
find account information, credit card or social security numbers.
- Skimming- This is achieved by using electronic
devices to save your debit or credit card numbers when you purchse items.
- Phishing- Thieves will send emails or use
pop ups to try and get you to divulge your personal information.
- Change your address- Thieves will actually divert
your mail in order to steal your information.
- Wallet/Purse theft- The easiest way to get your information is to steal
the item you store it in.
- Pretexting- Is very similar to phishing. Basically, it is where thieves get your information
under false pretences by pretending to be a reputable company.
How do I know if my information has been stolen?
Most people find out that their info has
been stolen when they are denied credit or are contacted by a debt collector. Others will find unknown charges on accounts
or even find themselves contacted by the police!
What do I do If I feel my personal information has been stolen?
The first thing that you
need to do is check your credit report and see if any other accounts have been opened in your name or, if any inquiry's
have been made into your credit (Inquiry's can let you know if someone has rented a home or apartment i your name.)
Once you know the extent of the damage you can begin to repair it. First contact the FTC and fill out a Identity theft complaint. Once you have filed your complaint go to the police and file a police report. These steps are very important
in order to get copies of the thief’s application, as well as transaction information from companies that dealt with
the thief. To get this information, you must submit a request in writing, accompanied by the police report, to the address
specified by the company for this purpose. You can find more information and a FTC sample letter here.These reports are also required by the credit reporting agencies to dispute the false charges on your credit report and to
block the false information from your reports. Remember you have legal rights when your information is stolen but you
need to follow the processes in place to guarantee them. A police report is also needed to . After you file
your police report contct all of your creditors and inform them that your identitiy has been stolen and dispute any unauthorized
charges. You should also change your account numbers at this time and check that the proper address is listed on the
account. Now that you have filed your FTC complaint, Police report and notified your creditors and dispute the
false accounts and charges you need to contact the credit reporting agencies. The first thing that you are going
to want to do is place a fraud alert on your reports. This will prevent anymore accounts from being opened. Your
next step will be to dispute the fraudulent accounts and inquiry's with the credit reporting agencies. They will require
the information you obtained when you filed your FTC complaint, Police report and when you closed the fraudulent accounts
and disputed the unauthorized charges.
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