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| ID THEFT:
What's It All About? |
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| What to do if you are the victim of
identity theft: |
| 1. Contact your
local Police Department and file a report. A police report is
critical in helping victims get rid of fraudulent debts and
clear up their credit reports. |
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| 2. Call the
toll-free fraud number of any one of the three major credit
bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit report. Fraud
alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening
additional accounts in victims’ names. As soon as the credit
bureau confirms the fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus
will automatically be notified to place fraud alerts, and all
three credit reports will be sent to the victim free of
charge. |
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| 3. Close the
accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or
opened fraudulently. When disputing new unauthorized accounts,
many banks and creditors will accept the
ID Theft Affidavit
(provided by the Federal Trade Commission), which
will save you valuable time in the recovery process.
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| 4. File a
complaint with the FTC at
www.consumer.gov/idtheft
or call 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). Consumer complaints
help make the database a better resource for law enforcement
officers. |
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| 5. Download a
copy of
Take Charge: Fighting Back
Against Identity Theft, which tells you how to
minimize the risk of and recover from identity theft.
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