(continued from the first steps)…
Has Your Personal Information Been Stolen by an Identity Thief?
If you have taken the first steps of recovering from identity theft, you have placed a fraud alert on your credit report and closed the accounts that have been tampered with. Next, follow these steps to be sure to you recover from identity theft as best you can.
File a Complaint With the Federal Trade Commission
You can file a complaint with the FTC by calling the FTC’s Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261; or writing to the Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.
By sharing your identity theft complaint with the FTC, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement officials across the nation track down identity thieves and stop them. The FTC can refer victims’ complaints to other government agencies and companies for further action, as well as investigate companies for violations of laws the agency enforces.
File a Report With Your Local Police or the Police in the Community Where the Identity Theft Took Place
Call your local police department and tell them that you want to file a report about your identity theft. Ask them if you can file the report in person. If you cannot, ask if you can file a report over the Internet or telephone.
If the police are reluctant to take your report, ask to file a “Miscellaneous Incident” report, or try another jurisdiction, like your state police. You also can check with your state Attorney General’s office to find out if state law requires the police to take reports for identity theft. Check the Blue Pages of your telephone directory for the phone number or check www.naag.org for a list of state Attorneys General.
