Identity Theft

Follow these steps to remain safe:

Save detail records of your conversations and copies of all correspondence

Make a police report if your identity has been stolen, keep a copy of the police report for your records

If you gave your scammer your banking information, and/ or credit card information you will need to close your accounts:

• Call or go to the security or fraud department of each company or your bank. Bring with you copies of supporting documents (emails, instant messages, items received in the mail…anything you have to prove you’re a victim).
• If there has been activity on your accounts ask the company for the forms to dispute the transactions. When the dispute is cleared ask for a letter stating this fact.
• If you gave your parents, siblings or other person’s personal information including names, birth dates, residential or job location, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers. You will need to make sure they make a fraud alert on their accounts also.

Place Fraud Alerts

You only need to contact one of the three companies to place an alert.

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

Ask for a free copy of your credit report and go over the report, look for inquiries from companies you haven’t contacted, accounts you haven’t opened or debts. If you find any thing that is not supposed to be there get it removed. Continue to check your credit reports for at least a year after being scammed.

To place an alert on your credit report, or to have them removed, you will be required to provide appropriate proof of your identity: that may include your Social Security number, name, address and other personal information.

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