Being a victim of identity theft is a very stressful and frustrating event in one’s life. It is exhausting to fix the damage that the culprit caused to your finances, credit and most of all - your reputation.
What are the initial steps you should take if you hint an identity theft?
There are things you can do to minimize the havoc of a possible identity theft case.
1. Put a fraud alert on your credit reports. A fraud alert notifies lenders and creditors that they should carefully verify your identity before approving credit by putting a red flag on your credit report.
2. Place a security freeze in all your credit reports. This prevents potential creditors from accessing your credit reports. Yet, there are other states that don’t allow credit freeze.
3. Contact any entity directly affected by the fraud. The very moment you realized that your credit card was stolen, immediately report the theft to the credit card issuer. If your checkbook or debit card was stolen, contact your bank.
4. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). File an Identity Theft Affidavit and a police report then create an Identity Theft Report. The FTC will guide you what to do next, depending on what type of fraud has been committed.
5. Secure your Social Security number. If there are hints that your social security number have been site compromised, contact the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service.
6. Contact Post Office. If you firmly believe that the thief submitted a change-of-address to the post office or used the U.S. mail to commit the crime, directly contact the Postal Inspection Service.
What are the different cases of identity theft?
1. Tax- and wage- related
Tax identity theft occurs when someone files a fraudulent tax return under your name without your permission. Whilst wage-related fraud takes place when someone uses your identity to collect wages.
2. Financial
Financial identity theft happens when someone uses your personal information for financial gain such as unauthorized access to your bank account.
3. Medical
This type of identity theft is the use of your identity to get health care. As a result, you could pay a medical bill without you being treated.
4. Driver’s license
This case happens when someone used your driver’s license to hide a criminal’s true identity or violates road regulations and caused accident resulting in a financial and insurance nightmare.
Lessen the burden of identity theft by staying vigilant about what’s happening around you.
For a smooth and honest processing of your identity theft case, this site contact Baneylaw, P.C. at 571-620-6715 or visit us at 2121 Eisenhower Ave #200, Alexandria, VA 22314.