8 Step Identity Theft Reporting Process:

1. Step 1 – Report any crime that occurs, including theft of your wallet, purse, or mail to your local police department.
2. Step 2 – After filing the report, be certain to get a copy, as you will need it when filing with the credit bureaus to prove theft occurred. If your local police department is having difficulty filing a report, ask them to file a "Miscellaneous Incident" report. If your local police office is unable to do this, contact your state police agency.
3. Contact your local Attorney General’s office to make a complaint.
4. Report credit card theft immediately. Many credit card companies have websites where you can report theft. They also have online statements which make it very easy to monitor for improper use.

   Also, request that your credit card company and banks stop sending your paper statements. By using electronic statemets, you will reduce the risk of having your mail stolen.

5. Close the credit card accounts you know a thieft has attempted to misuse, and close all credit card accounts opened without your consent. File fraud alerts with your credit card companies as well.

    

   There are two types of fraud alerts you can file with your credit card agency, an “initial” alert and an “extended” alert. An initial alert will stay on your credit report for 90 days. This alert prevents creditors from opening new accounts without first contacting you or verifying the person opening the account is you. 
    
   You can file an initial alert even if you are not certain you are a victim of an identity theft, just to make sure nothing happens to your credit. When you place this alert, you are able to get a free credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. An extended alert is one that stays on your credit report for up to 7 years. This is a good alert to place if you are severely victimized by an identity thief. 
    
   You will need to provide the consumer-reporting agency with a formal identity theft record or Affidavit and a copy of your police report. When you file an extended alert, you can request two credit reports from each of the three main agencies within a one year time frame. Credit reporting agencies will also remove your name from pre-screened credit offers for a minimum of five years to prevent anyone else from attempting to secure credit in your name. When you decide you want these alerts and restrictions removed from your credit, you will need to prove to the consumer-reporting agency your identity. This may involve submitting your social security number to them, your name and other personal information requested by the reporting agency. 
    
   Know that placing an alert on your credit will cause you some delays when you do try to secure credit for your own purposes in the future. A business will for example, have to contact you personally to verify you are whom you say you are before they issue you credit. One way to help reduce delays is by providing the credit agencies with your cell number, so they can contact you direct. 
    
6.  File a dispute against unauthorized accounts or charges incurred under your name. You may do this using a form called an "ID Theft Affidavit" which you can download here: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf
    
7. Call the FTC and file a formal complaint. The phone number is 1-877-ID-THEFT
    
8. Retain all copies of your reports so you may use them to prove your innocence in cases where it comes into question. This is particularly important in the case where someone who steals your identity commits a crime, or when you apply for a new job. You should inform potentional employers of your identity theft, and you can use the reports as proof. You can also use your reports to prevent debt collection agencies from tyring to collect debets that you did not incur. 

Conclusion

I hope you find the information in this guide valuable. If you have any questions about identity theft, please feel free to email me. My contact information is below. 

Warm Regards,
Steve Warshaw
steve@topinternetguides.com

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 at 8:41 am and is filed under Identity Theft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.