WHERE TO GO FOR HELP: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has its IdentityTheft.gov website, providing victims with steps to take to help resolve specific problems. The interactive site also offers a new checklist of immediate steps for what a victim needs to do.
Additional new features provide users with free personal recovery plans tailored to their individual circumstances, step-by-step guidance, and pre-filled letters and forms to send to creditors, credit reporting agencies, debt collectors, and the IRS.
When you use IdentityTheft.gov to report a problem, you’ll get a personal recovery plan that:
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Walks you through each recovery step
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Tracks your progress and adapts to your changing situation
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Pre-fills letters and forms for you
The site provides recovery steps for more than 30 types of identity theft and is available in Spanish at RobodeIdentidad.gov. Also, you can check out the new video about the website.
FOR TAX ID THEFT VICTIMS: The FTC has a webpage devoted to Tax ID Theft that includes advice for victims.
FILING A COMPLAINT WITH THE FTC: If you are a victim, you should file a complaint with the FTC via the new identitytheft.gov site; or call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: +1 (877) ID-THEFT (438-4338); TTY: +1 (866) 653-4261. The FTC has counselors fielding phone calls to receive consumer complaints and offer individual assistance from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday with the exception of federal holidays. Or you can write to Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.
CREDIT ALERTS AND FREEZES: A credit freeze allows a consumer to restrict access to his or her credit report. If you place a credit freeze, potential creditors and other third parties will not be able to get access to your credit report unless you temporarily lift the freeze. Once you have filed a police report to demonstrate you are an identity theft victim, that would allow you to place a fraud alert or renewal for free.
ID THEFT PREVENTION OPTIONS: Here is information from the FTC regarding Identity Theft Protection Services.
Federal Trade Commission Resources:
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Casework is handled in my district offices and is assigned according to location.
