Identity Theft Recovery

Considering how many different public agencies and private companies collect information on you, recovering from identity theft can be a long, complicated process. Fortunately, there are a number of effective ID theft and monitoring services available to help guide you through the mine-field of identity theft and help you recover. Services reviewed on these pages - like TrustedID, LifeLock, Equifax, and Identity Lockout – offer expert assistance in tracking down where your personal information is stored, locking it down, and stopping identity thieves in their tracks. The identity theft insurance offered by these services will also help ease the burden of being an id theft victim.

The following are just a few of the steps you need to go through to report identity theft. Consider how valuable it would be to have professionals helping you navigate the system.

1. Contact the fraud departments of the three consumer reporting companies - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.  You need to have them place a fraud alert or credit freeze on your credit report.  By limiting who can view your credit report you help cut off identity thieves’ access to new accounts in your name.

2. File your identity theft complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.  The FTC is the primary federal agency designated to combat identity theft. File a complaint through their identity theft hotline: 877-438-4338.

3. Close any compromised accounts immediately to prevent further theft.  Change your PIN numbers and request new Debit or Credit Cards for any accounts you do keep active. Report stolen checks, and cancel or place stop-payments on any checks you cannot account for. Contact the check verification companies as well:

CheckRite -- (800) 766-2748
ChexSystems -- (800) 428-9623
CrossCheck -- (800) 552-1900
Equifax -- (800) 437-5120
National Processing Co. (NPC) -- (800) 526-5380
SCAN -- (800) 262-7771
TeleCheck -- (800) 710-9898

4. File a report with your local police, or the police in the community where the identity theft occurred.  Make sure you obtain a copy of the police report, as you will need the information on the report and a report number when you are working with the creditor.

5. Depending on the type of identity theft involved, you may wish to contact these additional agencies:

U.S. Postal Service. One tactic of identity theft is to redirect your mail so that you don’t see the bills and collection notices of fraudulent accounts. Contact your local office of the Postal Inspection Service.

The Social Security Administration. If you suspect that your Social Security number is being used fraudulently call 800-269-0271 to report the fraud.

The Internal Revenue Service. The IRS will get involved if you suspect your identification is being used improperly in connection with tax violations. Call 1-800-829-0433 to report the violations.

Additionally, you’ll need to be in contact with all the lenders – like stores, utility companies, lenders – where the identity thief has run up debts. Having access to your most recent credit reports and monitoring your credit scores is the most efficient way to detect the extent of the damage done by identity theft. Again, the services reviewed on this site are the best resources available for all the critical tools you need to stop identity theft and to stop being a victim.

Remember, these steps are critical to identity theft resolution and should be taken promptly following an identity theft.