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If you are a victim of Identity Theft
If you have been the victim of credit card fraud or identity theft, the following tips will assist you:
If you think your identity has been stolen, here's what to do now:
- Keep a log of all conversations with authorities and financial institutions and chart your course of action.
- Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit file. The fraud alert requests creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. As soon as the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will be automatically notified to place fraud alerts, and all three credit reports will be sent to you free of charge.
- Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Use the ID Theft Affidavit when disputing new unauthorized accounts.
- Report the crime to the police and file a police report. Get a copy of the report or case number to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime. If you live in Erie County and are not served by a local police department contact the Erie County Sheriff's Office at (716) 662-5554 or contact the police department in the community where the identity theft took place.
- File your complaint online with the FTC or call the FTC’s fraud hotline at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. Filing a complaint also helps us learn more about identity theft and the problems victims are having so that we can better assist you.
- Read a copy of the FTC's - ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name [for pdf version - click here], which tells consumers how to minimize the risk of and recover from identity theft.
How to protect yourself from Identity Theft.
Identity Theft - Additional Resources
Identity Theft - Home Page
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