Identity theft has quickly become a serious issue, not only
in America, but
around the world as well. Every day a new victim finds them self fighting for
their life back, while the law is moving slowly to reduce the problems.
Credit bureaus are putting up Fraud Alerts and Freezes on
victims' accounts, yet the Fraud Alerts are doing nothing more than causing the
victim extra problems. Anyone that fall victim of identity theft should
immediately report the crime.
Identity theft victims should keep notes on all their
activities, and store the notes in a safe environment. The victim should also
keep all receipts of purchases and monitor their statements and credit reports frequently.
Report to the Authorities
At the first sign of identity theft, the case should be
reported to the authorities and any police reports should be kept by you and
the police. When you become a victim of a crime type up your own report and
provide any details available to you keep a copy and provide the police a copy.
Thus, the police cannot write down their own version of the
crime, or leave out important details.
Store in a Storage Medium
In place of storing your notes, statements, reports,
receipts, copies of credit reports and so forth on your computer, store the
documents on storage mediums and keep a second set of copies in a storage file.
During the length of time you notice any unauthorized
activities take notes and place dates and times on the notes, and report them instantly,
following the same steps to reporting identity theft.
Steps to reporting identity theft:
- Report
the crime to the authorities right away.
- Report
the crime to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission).
- Report
the crime to TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian and alert the bureaus that
your identity was stolen. Provide the bureaus copies of your police
reports and dispute any unauthorized charges.
- Close
all accounts immediately and alert the sources that your identity was
stolen. Thus, close bank accounts, credit card accounts, and so forth.
- Report
to the Social Security Administration and Secretary of State (Department
of Motor Vehicle) that your identity was stolen.
- Hire a
specialist for handwriting if you are taking to court.
- Report
the crime to your utility and phone providers that your identity was
stolen.
- Continue
to monitor your personal information and report any new findings
immediately.
- Change
new PIN numbers and Passwords randomly.
- Never
give out your information to anyone over the Internet or phone lines, or
at drive-thru areas.
- Dispute
any charges against you on your credit reports that are unauthorized.
- Learn
more about identity theft, including updates and fighting identity theft.
- Petition
your governor and state representatives to stop identity theft.
As citizens, we have the right to protect and petition our
governors and state representatives to challenge new laws. Thus, each person
that petitions or protests the laws increases new laws that will stop identity
theft.
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