| If you find yourself asking the question "identity stolen what to do?" then this article can help. I will go over some of the basic things you should do to minimize the impact of a stolen identity on your financial life.
I will also go over some simple things you can do to spot the identity theft as early as possible. The sooner the theft is detected the more you can do to keep the damage to a minimum.
So, here are the steps to take that will allow you to spot trouble right away:
1. You are legally allowed one free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus once a year. If you spread out when you get the report to one from one bureau every 3 months or so, you can spread it out for a year.
This is a great tactic and will enable you to keep an eye on your reports all year long.
Remember though that not all reports will have the same information. If you spot anything that doesn't look right contact that particular bureau as soon as possible. This could very well be the first sign that someone has stolen your identity.
2. If you have some credit cards that are getting close to expiring but you haven't received your new ones yet, this could be a sign that someone has stolen the new cards. It's not uncommon for them to take them right out of your mailbox.
If this happens contact the credit card company immediately. Also carefully read over all your credit card statements every month. If you see any unusual transactions contact the company right away.
3. If you receive a letter from the post office read it. Don't ignore it. The post office will contact you at the address they have for you to notify you that someone has requested a change of address.
This is a common ploy used by thieves: they will simply redirect your mail to themselves so they can search through your mail at their leisure.
If you spot any of these issues it's a good bet someone has stolen your identity and is trying to cash in. If that happens, or if your wallet is lost, do the following right away:
1. Contact all 3 credit bureaus and explain what has happened. Tell them you want a fraud report attached to your credit report. That way the thieves can't open new lines of credit in your name.
2. Next, contact your bank as well as all the companies you have credit with. Tell them what has happened so they can monitor your accounts.
Another common tactic is the thieves will add themselves to your account then once they are listed as one of the account holders, they will clean you out.
3. Contact your local police department as well as the FBI. You want to file a report and establish a time line. This will help protect you from the damage the crooks do.
These are all just very basic steps, your local law enforcement agency, bank or credit bureau may well have more information for you. Do what they tell you to do.
Also, make sure you keep careful and detailed records of every step in the process. Hopefully these tips will answer the question "identity stolen what to do"? |