Fighting Back

Everyone has heard the horror stories about what can happen if their identity gets stolen. Banks accounts get emptied, debts are incurred, and people have even been arrested for crimes committed by an impersonator. While the best defense is to make sure personal information is not stolen in the first place, it also is essential to know what steps to take in the event it should it happen to you.

The good part about this is that identity theft has become such a hot topic that government agencies and private companies are more willing to help than in years past. Reporting the crime to police, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been streamlined and authorities are better educated on how to investigate the crime.

Take Action

The most important advice about recovering from identity theft is to be proactive and aggressive. Security experts advise people to check their credit reports at least once a year to look for false information. Since the first most people learn about the crime is when bill collectors start calling or threatening letters start arriving, taking the step of checking the reports and studying monthly credit card statements can provide a leg up.

Consumers also should act quickly when there is a question about their bills. Most banks and credit card issuers these days will not hold people liable for fraudulent charges if they are reported quickly. If there is a suspicious charge on a statement, be it the phone bill or a credit account, call about it as soon as it is discovered. Even one phony long-distance phone call this month could lead to the thief expanding the fraudulent use of a person's identity in the future.

Report The Crime

Government agencies, such as the FTC or the FBI, charged with investigating identity theft have made it easy to report cases. Once a person has determined someone is stealing their identity, they are advised to make sure to file a report with the police and with other agencies. The FTC web site features an affidavit for use by victims of fraud that gets the report into the right hands quickly. The agency also maintains a database of complaints people can check to monitor the progress of an investigation.

With a police report in hand, identity theft victims can then use that to inform those with whom they have credit and other accounts. There are several steps that need to be taken, including closing all accounts and opening new ones with fresh account numbers and personal information numbers (PINs). Checklists of these steps can be found on the FTC, FBI, and Department of Justice web sites.