You had a fabulous time knocking back margaritas and lazing about on the beach, until you found out your identity was stolen. If it’s any consolation, you’re not alone. You’re at the greatest risk of identity theft while you’re relaxed on vacation says Ward Clapham, the vice president of recovery services for Absolute Software. You can’t change what’s happened, but you can take steps to minimize the damage.
Get an Identity Theft Affidavit
- Identity TheftDon Hankins / Foter / CC BY
Create an identity theft report by submitting a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You can do this by calling 1-877-438-4338 and speaking to a FTC representative about your situation. The FTC will then e-mail you a link to your printable Identity Theft Affidavit. Alternatively you can lodge a complaint online.
Lodge a Police Report
Once you have your Identity Theft Affidavit, take your case to the police. Lodge a report at any police station, and ask for a copy of the police report. Staple your Identity Theft Affidavit and keep them both in a safe place, as you’ll likely need to refer to these documents.
Sort Out Your Credit Reports
Your credit report is your key to financial freedom, so cleaning it up after identity theft is a top priority. Firstly call Equifax (1-800-525-6285), Transunion (1-800-680-7289), or Experian (1-888-397-3742) and place an initial fraud alert on your credit reports. Whoever you call will contact the other credit reporting firms.
Then assess your credit reports for errors. Victims of identity theft can obtain these reports for free. Read through these reports and see whether they make sense to you. Carefully note whether there are any unfamiliar accounts or credit inquiries.
Make sure you write a letter disputing any errors as soon as you can. The faster mistakes are noted, the easier they are to fix. Write an individual letter for each error to ensure the credit rating agency doesn’t miss anything or discount any item. Send your letters by certified mail with copies of your credit reports, highlighting the errors, copies of your police report, and any other supporting documents.
At this stage you may also like to contact a firm like LifeLock, the pioneers of ID theft, who can protect you against further identity crimes.
Contact Key Companies
Finally you should contact each company where your stolen identity may be used against you. Ask to speak to the firm’s security or fraud department and explain your situation. You should review your accounts and ascertain whether the addresses have changed or invalid charges were made. You may need to close or password-protect your accounts. After you’ve made initial contact it’s best to follow-up each call with a letter similar to the one you send to the credit report agencies.
Financial institutions are an obvious place to start, but they’re not the only places criminals will strike. Also contact your utility providers, your local post office, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the US Department of State Passport Services Office, and the Internal Revenue Service. Remember that even if you don’t own a car or passport, the thief may take out a license or passport in your name.
Identity theft will leave a nasty taste in your mouth, but if you spring into action it needn’t spoil your vacation memories.
Sources:
http://blogs.absolute.com/
http://idtheft.about.com/od/
http://www.consumer.gov/
http://www.fightidentitytheft.
