The first inkling that you have become a victim of identity theft is when you receive the demand for payments on the credit card that has become overdue . . and you realize that you never even owned that card, in the first place. There is someone out there using a credit card with your identity to run up huge bills. This huge credit is not only going to adversely affect your credit rating, but you will have creditors beating the path to your door demanding payment! Payment for expenditures you have not incurred!
What To Do
As soon as you realize that someone is using your identity and is running up bills, which could destroy you financially, you need to act instantly to try to lessen the damages as much as possible.
You begin by immediately notifying the three major Credit Bureaus - Experian (formerly TRW); Texas Equifax, Atlanta; and TransUnion, California. They have fraud units who look into crimes such as identity fraud. They can be contacted online through their following URLs:
Experian - www.experian.com
Texas Equifax, Atlanta - www.equifax.com
TransUnion, California - www.transunion.com
Be precise with your information when contacting them. Tell them that you are a victim of identity theft, and that someone somewhere is using your identity and obtaining credit by fraudulent means. In fact, notifying any one of the three credit bureaus should be sufficient, as the other two will be automatically informed.
Having once informed the Credit Bureaus, make a report about the crime with your local police. If you happen to know that the frauds have occurred in other areas as well, report to those police departments, also. The police will list the fraud accounts in its report, and ensure that you also take a copy of the Identity Theft Report for your records.
If you so wish, you can also report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about the fraud. This can be done through their online resources at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/. Fill in their ID Theft Complaint form. Your information will be shared nationwide with all investigators fighting identity theft.
These are the first immediate steps you need to take. There still are other problems that you will need to sort out, such as: the credit accounts which the fraudsters have opened; your current credit accounts; and the creditors and debt collectors who are at your door asking to be paid.
Fraudulent Use Of Your Personal Information
Once the fraud has been committed, you will, of course, take the above steps to cope with identity theft. You also need to know how fraudsters get your personal data, so that you are cautious in future.
You may feel that your personal records are safe, but there are many who have legitimate access to them. Fraudsters, through bribing or conning, can obtain such information. Fraudsters are known to steal your mail from your mailbox, and lay hands on your bank statements as well as card statements.
Picking your pocket for your wallet, and skimming is another way of getting more information.
Jeff Davis is an author at IdentitySafetyTips.com.
Read more about Identity Fraud on this website.
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