How To Deal With Identity Theft
Having your identity compromised is one of the biggest challenges a person can face. And even though you may have taken all of the necessary precautions to protect your identity (as discussed in my blog Identity Theft & Email), there’s always the possibility that something may have jeopardized your identity.
So, your identity’s been stole. Now what?
The following steps should be completed as soon as you learn that your identity has been compromised:
1. First, and foremost, contact your current creditors both in writing and by way of phone. Have them cancel your current credit/debit cards and issue you new card & security numbers, as well as PIN numbers.
2. Contact the Credit Reporting Agencies (below) and have them put a “Fraud Alert” on your credit reports. This will require the Credit Reporting Agency to contact you directly before issuing a credit report to anyone. Typically these “Fraud Alerts” can only be placed on your account six months, so you would be required to renew the alerts after that period.
The three primary Credit Reporting Agencies are:
- Transunion – http://transunion.com Phone: 888-680-7289
- Equifax – http://equifax.com Phone: 888-766-0008
- Experian – http://experian.com Phone: 888-397-3742
3. File a report with your local police and have them make you a copy of that very report. Create an electronic copy by scanning the report, so you can easily send it to your bank(s), credit card companies, collection agencies, or anyone else you would need to notify that your identity was stolen. This is a critical step.
4. Be sure to change all of your passwords to your associated email accounts, banking networks, shopping related websites, and any other websites or applications where your sensitive information may be retained.
Also, one unsuspecting sign of identity theft taking place is when a password to one of your accounts has changed and the account won’t allow you to log in… Yes, it’s possible you may have just forgotten your password, and now you need to reset it, but there’s also the possibility that the account was accessed by an outside third-party who’s been tampering with your information.
Mitigating The Effects
While these are the most obvious and important steps that you are typically advised to complete once you believe your identity has been stolen, there are actually several other steps that you should complete to minimize long-term damages to your identity:
1. Contact the U.S. Post Office. Thieves can not only steal your identity by physically taking your mail from your mailbox, but also by filing a fake ‘Change-Of-Address’ card.
Go to http://usps.com and confirm your current mailing address.
2. Notify the State Department. If you’ve lost your passport, it’s essential to inform the State Department immediately.
Go to the state department’s website or call 877-487-2778.
3. Inform the Social Security Department. Verify your work history by ordering copies of your ‘Personal Earnings’ statements. Someone with the correct information could attempt to steal your benefits. To get a ‘Benefits Estimate’ statement, as well as a ‘Benefit Payments Statement’, visit http://ssa.gov/myaccount/ and create an account to access your statements.
4. Contact the Federal Trade Commission and file a report if you believe that your information was compromised as the result of a transaction with a retail store, either in person or online.
Go to http://www.consumer.gov/help-for-you/topic/scams-and-identity-theft or call 877-438-4338.
Ultimately, do everything in your power to ensure that it doesn’t happen again!
Peter Schaub
President & CEO — NeoCertified
