Learn How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft
Identity theft is becoming a very serious and all too common crime. Learn some steps to help safeguard yourself.When someone steals your identity they have access to all your personal information including your driver's license number, credit card numbers, and even your social security number. They then use this information to create new credit cards and can even access your bank accounts. This leaves you spending months or even years trying to rebuild your credit and correct the debt that doesn't belong to you. In the meantime you can find yourself being denied for things like home loans or car loans. You might even find yourself wrongly accused of a crime that you didn't commit.
Steps to Help Correct Identity Theft
Do you know what you should do if you find out that your identity has been stolen? The first thing you should do is contact one of the fraud departments for any one of the three major credit bureaus. Tell them that you want a fraud alert put on your credit file. This will alert any new creditor to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. You don't have to contact all three bureaus because as soon as one confirms your fraud alert, the remaining two bureaus will automatically be notified to place a fraud alert.Your next step should be to start closing the accounts that you think have been stolen. You should also use the ID Theft Affidavit when disputing any new unauthorized accounts. You can find a copy of the ID Theft Affidavit here www.ftc.gov/idtheft.
The next step is to contact the police and file a police report. Make sure you get a copy of the report so that you can submit to your creditors and anyone else that needs proof of the crime.
The last step is to file a complaint with the FTC. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigation. When you file a complaint it helps them learn more about identity theft and the problems victims are having so that they can better assist you.
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