I Suspect ID Theft. What Can I Do?

Whether you’re worried about not receiving recent credit card statements or just have a gut feeling, it’s not uncommon to suspect someone may have stolen your identity. The number of identity theft victims has risen exponentially in the last five years and doesn’t seem to be going down any time soon. That’s why you need to be vigilant about keeping your identity safe. Should you suspect identity theft, there are some steps you can take right away to prevent any major damage from occurring.

What Can You Do?

Request a copy of your credit report as soon as possible. You can pull your report up in minutes online, free of charge. Here you’ll be able to see every line of credit opened in your name and the amount of debt associated with each. Make sure the information is accurate for each account.
If you find anything questionable in your credit report, contact the company or bank that the issued the line of credit. By reporting any issues as early as possible, most companies will replace any money lost as a result of an identity theft. Close any accounts that may have been tampered with.
Your next step should be to contact the major credit bureaus. With their help you place a credit freeze or fraud alert on your credit report. These will stop anyone from opening new lines of credit in your name or at least force the lender to contact you in order to further verify your identity should you want to open a new card.
Do you shop online, pay bills online, or bank online? If you do any of these you should probably change your log-in information for every website that has any of your financial information. Use a unique password for each web site.
You should definitely file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and your local police department. They both usually maintain databases of all identity theft complaints that law enforcement and other agencies use in investigations. By reporting the crime, you may be able to help authorities arrest the person responsible and help get any lost money back.