Arizona is the identity-theft capital of the U.S. PART 3

Arizona is the identity-theft capital of the U.S. PART 1

Arizona is the identity-theft capital of the U.S. PART 2



Yefim Toybin
Phoenix, AZ
December 3, 2010 @ 21:15

I continue providing important and useful information on identity theft.
Quite often, the real knowledge on the subject is a very powerful weapon in defending ourselves, our property, and our identity.

I hope the material below is practical and will help you to protect yourself, family members, and your friends. And, if something horrible happens, then, at least, you will know how to act quickly and properly to minimize the damage of IDENTITY THEFT. Be safe and stay protected!

WHEN YOUR IDENTITY IS STOLEN

There are steps you will need to take to protect yourself. You may have to spend some time and money dealing with having your identity stolen. You have to follow these steps without hesitation. Acting quickly is the best way to make sure this
crime does not get out of control. The longer you wait, the more of your money someone else is spending and, potentially, the greater the damage to your credit. Always remember to act quickly.

Step 1:
CONTACT THE POLICE

File a report with your local police department and, if the identity theft did not take place within your area, file a report with the police from the area where the theft took place. Make sure to get a copy of the police report. You may need
that documentation to support your claims to credit bureaus, creditors, debt collectors or other companies. If you are unable to obtain a copy of the police report, be sure to get the report number.

Step 2:
CLOSING ACCOUNTS

If you notice any accounts under your name that have been tampered with or opened
without your consent, close them immediately. The longer an identity thief has access to these accounts, the more money you could lose. Call each bank or company and then follow up in writing. If there are fraudulent charges or debts on your account or if a new account has been opened, you should immediately file a fraud report with your bank’s fraud department. If a new account has been opened without your knowledge and consent, ask the company with which the account has been opened if they have a fraud department. If they do, file a fraud report with that department. If not, ask if they will accept the Identity Theft Affidavit from the Federal Trade Commission (see below). If you close an existing bank account and open a new one, be sure to create new PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) and passwords.


Step 3:
FRAU ALERT

The next step is to place a fraud alert on your credit file and carefully review your credit report. This will prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name. You should contact the three major credit bureaus listed on page 8.

If you place a fraud alert with one credit bureau, that credit bureau is required by law to contact the other two bureaus. The other bureaus will include the fraud alert in their reports. However, to ensure that the alert is included in your credit file as quickly as possible to minimize potential damage to your credit history, contact all three credit bureaus immediately.

CREDIT BUREAUS

EQUIFAX

P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
888.766.0008

For info, please click on:EQUIFAX

EXPERIAN

P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
888.EXPERIAN (397.3742)

For info, please click on:EXPERIAN


TRANSUNION

P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
800.680.7289

For info, please click on:TRANSUNION

Identity Theft Affidavit
A piece of documentation you need to fill out is the Identity Theft Affidavit offered by the Federal Trade Commission. This form will help you report information about your identity theft with just one form. Many companies accept this form, though others will require you to use their own form or submit more forms. If a new account has been opened in your name, you can use this form to provide the information that will help companies investigate the fraud. Once you have filled out the Identity Theft Affidavit as completely and accurately as possible, mail a copy to any of the companies concerned with the fraud you describe in the form, such as banks or creditors. The Identity Theft Affidavit, as well as more detailed information about filling it out, can be found at www.ftc.gov.