{"id":6228,"date":"2015-10-10T07:51:24","date_gmt":"2015-10-10T12:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=6228"},"modified":"2015-07-24T14:05:18","modified_gmt":"2015-07-24T19:05:18","slug":"how-to-report-identity-theft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2015\/10\/how-to-report-identity-theft\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Report Identity Theft"},"content":{"rendered":"

How To Report Identity Theft\"How<\/h1>\n

One in twenty people<\/a><\/strong> in the United States have been victims of identity theft and the number just keeps going up. Seniors are especially vulnerable to having their identities stolen. Prevention<\/a><\/strong> is certainly the ideal, but as common as identity theft is, even those\u00a0who know what to look out for and avoid may find themselves dealing with strange charges on their accounts or new surprise debt on their credit report.<\/p>\n

First, You Have to Catch It<\/h2>\n

Before you can do anything about being a victim of identity theft, you need to recognize it\u2019s happened. That means keeping an eye on your bank and credit card statements and your credit report. The sooner you see suspicious charges, the easier it will be to respond to them and make sure the thief doesn\u2019t get much profit or chance to harm you. As long as you report the theft quickly, federal law protects you<\/a><\/strong> from having to cover much of the cost of the charges the thief makes.<\/p>\n

Then, You Have to Report It<\/h2>\n

This is a multi-step process:<\/p>\n

1. Contact the affected bank or credit card company.<\/h3>\n

You should be able to find the number to call on your card itself or, if you don\u2019t have it (for instance, if the card was stolen), check on the website, your statements, or your bills to find it. Let them know right away that there\u2019s been a suspicious charge.<\/p>\n

They should cancel your card for you so the thief can\u2019t charge anything else on it, send you a new one, and in most cases will void the charge you report. Make sure to check all your other accounts as well, so you\u2019ll know whether the thief\u2019s knowledge extends beyond the first account you catch fraudulent charges on.<\/p>\n

2. Contact a credit agency.<\/h3>\n

You can contact any of the main three credit reporting agencies: Experian<\/a><\/strong>, Equifax<\/a><\/strong>, or TransUnion<\/a><\/strong>. As long as you ask one of them to put a fraud alert on your credit report, the others will get the message. A fraud alert will ensure your credit is protected from any liability for the charges and debt applications made by the theft.<\/p>\n

3. File a complaint with the FTC.<\/h3>\n

You can file a form through the FTC website<\/a><\/strong> or give them a call to report the offense at 1-877-ID THEFT (877-438-4338). They\u2019ll talk you through the next steps to take.<\/p>\n

4. File a report with your local police.<\/h3>\n

Contact your local police station and inform them of the theft as well. Ask for a copy of the police report for your own records. That way if your bank or credit card companies ask for the details, you\u2019ll have them ready.<\/p>\n

These four steps should result in your being protected from almost any liability or cost for the theft (you may still have to cover a small amount, up to $50 if you report it within 2 days of learning about it).<\/p>\n

Special Cases of Identity Theft<\/h2>\n

If the type of identity theft you got hit with was someone filing a fraudulent tax return in order to make off with your refund, the steps are a bit different. You\u2019ll still want to file reports with the FTC and local police, but you\u2019ll also want to fill out the appropriate form<\/a><\/strong> to report it to the IRS as well.<\/p>\n

If your wallet or purse was stolen and you need to have various forms of ID replaced, you\u2019ll have to contact each relevant department<\/a><\/strong> separately to get new identification. If a thief gets ahold of sensitive information like your social security number through any of the items they steal, you need to make a point to be extra vigilant in tracking your accounts and credit.<\/p>\n

Identify theft is a pain, but it\u2019s gotten common enough that the institutions you need to contact about it will know what to do and do their best to help you through the process with minimal pain on your part.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How To Report Identity Theft One in twenty people in the United States have been victims of identity theft and the number just keeps going up. Seniors are especially vulnerable to having their identities stolen. Prevention is certainly the ideal, but as common as identity theft is, even those\u00a0who know what to look out for and avoid may find themselves […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200],"tags":[33,429],"class_list":{"0":"post-6228","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-families-caregivers","7":"tag-safety-tips-for-seniors","8":"tag-senior-scams"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Report Identity Theft<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"5% of people in the US are victims of identity theft. 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