Identity Theft

Your Identity Has Been Stolen. Now What?

Step 1: Protect Your Finances

Contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus. Get a copy of your credit report, which is free to identity theft victims. Ask that your file be flagged with a "fraud alert tag" and a "victim's statement." That will limit the thief's ability to open new credit accounts, as new creditors will call you before granting credit, generally. Insist, in writing, that the fraud alert remain in place for seven years, the maximum, according to privacyrights.org.

Credit Bureaus:

Equifax Experian TransUnion

1-800-525-6285 1-888-397-3742 1-800-680-7289

www.equifax.com www.experian.com www.tuc.com

Step 2: File a Police Report

You will need a police report to dispute unauthorized charges and for any insurance claims. Also, fill out an online ID Theft complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or call 1-877-ID-THEFT.

That enters your case in the FTC's "Consumer Sentinel" database, a nationwide list of ID theft cases which can be used by law enforcement officers to find patterns and catch criminals.

Step 3: Close All Compromised Accounts

The list may be wider than you realize. This includes accounts with banks, credit card companies and other lenders, and phone companies, utilities, ISPs, and other service providers. Dispute all unauthorized charges - The FTC offers a sample dispute letter on its web site. Disputes may require a sworn statement and a police report. The FTC also offers a form affidavit which can be used for the sworn statement. Click here for the ID Theft Affidavit.

More Help

More detail 17-step plan to follow if your ID is stolen

www.privacyrights.org/identity.htm

"When bad things happen to your good name" - FTC document full of sample dispute letters and other recovery procedures.

www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm

U.S. Department of Justice ID Theft kit

www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html

Identity Theft Resource Center

www.idtheftcenter.org

ID theft laws vary by state - here's a list of state laws

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/reference-desk/laws.html

ID theft laws for the State of Georgia (Section 16-9-120 through 16-9-128)

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/cgi-bin/gl_codes_detail.pl?code=16-9-120

ID Theft Victim's Page (Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice)

http://www.cj.msu.edu/~outreach/identity/victimspage2.html

*Provided by MSNBC.com