6 If you know who stole your identity, you should still follow the same steps as if you did not know the identity thief: 1. File a report with your local police department and get a copy of the police report. 2. Contact the Federal Trade Commission to report the identity theft. 3. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports and get copies of your credit reports to review for any suspicious activity. 4. Contact any creditors or companies where new accounts or charges may have been made in your name to report the fraudulent activity and close or dispute accounts. In addition to these steps, you should also consider taking legal action against the identity thief such as filing a

1. Identity Theft
published by AAA Fair Credit Foundation

2. Identity Theft
1. What is identity theft? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. How do identity thieves obtain my information? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3. How do I know if I have been a victim? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4. It’s happened to me, what do I do now? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5. How can I keep identity theft from happening to me?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
6. What should I do if I know the person who stole my identity?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
7. What is child identity theft?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
8. Where to get more information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
9. Take our “Identity Theft – A Quiz for Consumers”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

3. What is Identity Theft?
Nearly 10 million people fall victim to identity
theft each year, costing consumers $5 billion in
out-of-pocket losses and businesses $48 billion,
according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Identity theft occurs when someone
uses your name, address, Social
Security Number (SSN), bank and
credit card accounts, driver’s license or
any other identifying information without
your knowledge to commit fraud and/or
other crimes.
1
The average ID theft victim spends about
600 hours trying to clear up credit problems,
according to The Identity Theft Resource
Center, a non-profit group based in San Diego.
Identity theft is a Federal Crime
under Federal Law: 18 U.S.C. 1028
“The Identity Theft and Assumption
Deterrence act of 1998.” This act
established that persons who have their
identity stolen are, in fact, victims of a
crime and thus allows law enforcement
agencies the jurisdiction to investigate
and combat these criminal offenses.
Don’t let it happen to you… take our Identity
Theft Quiz in section 9 to see if you are putting
yourself at risk.
There are many motives compelling
thieves to commit identity related
crimes. The biggest reason is for
personal financial gain; however, there
is a steady increase in the instances
of thieves obtaining false identities in
order to immigrate illegally or avoid
arrest.
Additional resources and legislation
information for identity theft are listed in
section 8.
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4. How Do I Know if I Have Been a Victim?
How Do Identity Thieves Obtain My Information?
There are many ways in which thieves
obtain the information of their victims.
Some of the most common practices
include:
2
•
“Dumpster
Diving” – Going through
your trash searching for personal
information you have thrown away.
•
Stealing
information from your place
of work.
•
“Skimming”
– Stealing credit card
account numbers by using special
information storage devices.
•
Stealing
the details from your credit
card while processing a transaction.
•
Stealing your mail.
Most people are unaware they have
fallen victim to identity theft until after
the damaging effects have taken place.
Usually this occurs when someone
is denied new credit or they receive
invoices for purchases they didn’t
make. You have to constantly be
vigilant and monitor all your personal
information in order to identify any
fraudulent activity as early as possible:
3
•
Diverting
your mail to a different
address/location.
•
Obtaining
a copy of your credit report
by fraudulent means
•
Stealing from your home.
•
“Pretexting”
– Obtaining information
directly from you by posing as an
“official” and asking you personal
questions. Popular scams under this
method include sending out emails
allegedly from your bank asking you
to confirm your banking details.
•
Monitor
your balances on your bank
and credit card accounts.
•
•
Investigate
if you begin to receive
collection calls from creditors
about accounts you did not open
or charges/purchases you did not
make.
•
Investigate
if you are denied credit for
no apparent reason.
•
Review
your reports from all 3 credit
bureaus on a regular basis to identify
any unexpected changes and correct
any mistakes.
Investigate if you stop receiving bills.
•
Investigate
if you receive credit cards
for which you have not applied.
•
Taking
photos of your credit card with
their camera phones.
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HOW DO IDENTITY
IDENTITY THEFT
T H I E V E S O B TA I N M Y
H ow do I k now if I
I N F O R M AT I O N ?
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5. It’s Happened to Me, What do I do Now?
First, don’t panic. Even though this is a
serious situation, you will accomplish
more in less time by staying calm. Next,
gather all the information you have
about the fraudulent activity committed
against you, and start a file for retaining
any information about the activity,
evidence you have, and actions you
take. Finally, report the identity theft to
all the agencies listed below as soon
as possible. You must always report
identity theft.
4
THE POLICE
You MUST report identity theft to the
police and obtain a copy of your police
report. As a victim of identity theft,
you have protection under the law if
you make a police report. If there’s
no police report, there’s no protection
– simple as that. Also, if you do not
make a report, it could be viewed later
that you knew about the fraudulent
activity and did nothing to stop it.
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FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Notify all your financial institutions by
phone and follow up with a registered
letter, keeping a copy for your records.
Your bank will want a copy of the police
report, so you may want to include that
with your registered letter. If your bank
information has been tampered with,
you may want to close those accounts
and re-open them under new numbers.
Most banks are experienced in dealing
with the aftermath of identity theft and
should help you make changes as easy
on you as possible.
CREDIT BUREAUS
FRAUD ALERTS
Notify all the credit bureaus with
a phone call and follow up with a
registered letter, keeping a copy for
your records. Again, credit bureaus
will want a copy of the police
report so consider including this in
your registered letter. The contact
information for the three major credit
bureaus is:
6
Let creditors know that fraud has been
associated with your credit report.
As a result, creditors may confirm
that they’re dealing with you and not
an imposter before granting credit
or other services. This will mean you
must go through more screening than
normal when you conduct your own,
valid business with your creditors.
Remember, that while this may be
cumbersome, it is for your own
protection and worth the extra effort.
Equifax - www.equifax.com
call: 800-685-1111 or write:
P Box 740241
.O.
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Experian - www.experian.com
call: 888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) or
write: P Box 2002, Allen TX 75013
.O.
Trans Union - www.transunion.com
call: 800-888-4213 or write:
P Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022
.O.
VICTIM STATEMENTS
A Victim Statement is a statement
you make to the credit bureaus that
alerts creditors and potential creditors
about the fraudulent activity committed
against you. This tells creditors to
contact you before granting credit or
other services in your name. Victim
statements may cause delays in getting
credit while the creditor tries to contact
you. If you have a cell phone, you may
want to include that number in your
statement.
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6. The following charts describe the
current fraud alert and victim statement
placement procedures of the credit
bureaus. Please note: TransUnion and
Equifax use a combined fraud alert and
victim statement. Be sure to confirm
these procedures when you contact the
credit bureaus as they may change.
NOTIFYING OTHER IMPORTANT
IDENTITY THEFT AFFIDAVIT
ORGANIZATIONS
7
The FTC, in conjunction with banks,
credit grantors and consumer
advocates, developed the ID Theft
Affidavit, a copy of which can be
found at www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
federallaws.html, to help you close
unauthorized accounts and get rid
of debts wrongfully attributed to
your name.
In addition to the police, financial
institutions and credit bureaus, it is
also a good idea to notify the following
organizations:
•
Your
phone company (both home
phone and cell providers)
Initial Alert
Credit Bureau
Period of Initial
Coverage
Can You Request an
Alert Online?
TransUnion
12 Months
No
6 Months
No
Yes
Experian
3 Month Fraud Alert
Yes
Utilities provider(s)
Yes, can be
provided online
•
The
US mail. This will help prevent
any fraudulent re-direction of your
mail.
Renewals
•
Period of Renewal
Coverage
Is a Free Credit
Report Provided?
TransUnion
12 Months or 7 Years
Yes
6 Months or 7 Years
Yes
3 Month Fraud Alert or 7
Year Victim Statement
Yes, provided
online
I.R.S.
If you don’t have a police report or any
paperwork from creditors, send the
completed ID Theft Affidavit to the three
major credit bureaus. They will use it to
start the dispute investigation process.
You also can send the ID Theft Affidavit
to creditors. Not all companies accept
the ID Theft Affidavit. They may require
you to use their forms instead. Check
with each company first about their
policies regarding the ID Theft Affidavit.
F.T.C.
Unlimited
Experian
Drivers’ License Division
•
Unlimited
Equifax
•
Number of
Renewals Allowed
Social Security Department
•
Credit Bureau
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Internet provider(s)
•
Yes
Equifax
•
Is a Free Credit
Report Provided?
Unlimited
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7. How can I Prevent Identity Theft from
Happening to Me?
5
As with any crime, you can’t guarantee
that you will never be a victim, but you
can minimize your risk. By managing
your personal information wisely,
cautiously and with an awareness of
the issue, you can help guard against
identity theft.
•
Don't
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IDENTITY THEFT
H ow can I P re v ent
I dentity T heft from
give out personal information
on the phone, through the mail
or over the Internet unless you've
initiated the contact or are sure you
know with whom you're dealing.
Identity thieves may pose as
representatives of banks, Internet
service providers (ISPs) and even
government agencies to get you to
reveal your SSN, mother's maiden
name, account numbers, and other
identifying information. Before you
share any personal information,
confirm that you are dealing with
a legitimate organization. You can
check the organization's Web site
as many companies post scam
alerts when their name is used
improperly, or you can call customer
service using the number listed on
your account statement or in the
telephone book.
•
Don't
carry your SSN card; leave it in
a secure place.
bank statements, expired charge
cards that you're discarding, and
credit offers you get in the mail.
•
Secure
personal information in
your home, especially if you have
roommates, employ outside help or
are having service work done in your
home.
•
Guard
•
If
you do not use the pre-screened
credit card offers you receive in the
mail, you can opt out by calling
1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567- 8688).
You will be asked for your Social
Security number in order for the
credit bureaus to identify your file
so they can remove you from their
lists. Also, you still may receive
some credit offers because some
companies use different lists from
the credit bureaus’ lists.
your mail and trash from theft:
Deposit outgoing mail in post office
collection boxes or at your local post
office, rather than in an unsecured
mailbox. Promptly remove mail from
your mailbox. If you're planning to
be away from home and can't pick
up your mail, call the U.S. Postal
Service at 1-800-275-8777 to request
a vacation hold. The Postal Service
will hold your mail at your local post
office until you can pick it up or are
home to receive it.
T
o thwart an identity thief who may
pick through your trash or recycling
bins to capture your personal
information, tear or shred your
charge receipts, copies of credit
applications, insurance forms,
physician statements, checks and
•
Carry
only the identification information and the number of credit and
debit cards that you'll actually need.
•
Place
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passwords on your credit card,
bank and phone accounts. Avoid
using easily available information like
your mother's maiden name, your
birth date, the last four digits of your
SSN or your phone number, or a
series of consecutive numbers. When
opening new accounts, you may find
that many businesses still have a line
on their applications for your mother's
maiden name. Use a password
instead.
•
Ask
about information security
procedures in your workplace or at
businesses, doctors’ offices or other
institutions that collect personally
identifying information from you.
Find out who has access to your
personal information and verify that
it is handled securely. Ask about
the disposal procedures for those
records as well. Find out if your
information will be shared with
anyone else. If so, ask if you can
keep your information confidential.
•
Give
your SSN only when absolutely
necessary. Ask to use other types
of identifiers when possible. If your
state uses your SSN as your driver's
license number, ask to substitute
another number. Do the same if your
health insurance company uses your
SSN as your account number.
IDENTITY THEFT
H ow can I P re v ent
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H appening to M e ?
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8. What Should I do if I Know the Person Who
Stole My Identity?
•
Pay
attention to your billing cycles.
Follow up with creditors if your bills
don’t arrive on time. A missing
bill could mean an identity thief
has taken over your account and
changed your billing address to
cover his tracks.
• Be
wary of promotional scams.
Identity thieves may use phony offers
to get you to give them your personal
information.
• Keep
your purse or wallet in a safe
place at work as well as any copies
you may keep of administrative forms
that contain your sensitive
personal information.
•
Cancel all unused credit accounts.
•
When
ordering new checks, pick
them up at the bank, rather than
having them sent to your home
mailbox.
• Be
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careful when entering PIN numbers at ATM’s and in stores. Also
be watchful of those around you at
stores and restaurants. Many Identity
thieves are using cell phone cameras
to take pictures of cards so they can
enlarge the picture later and use the
account online.
6
• se
U
your credit card instead of a
debit card for online purchases. If
your info is stolen or intercepted,
then your credit card company loses
money spent on any fraudulent purchases while they investigate. However, if your debit card information is
stolen, you lose the money spent on
fraudulent purchases while your bank
investigates. Always be sure you
have the cash available to pay for
any purchase you make online with a
credit card to avoid
accumulating debt.
copies of all your credit cards,
driver’s license and other documents you carry with you stored
in a safe location. If you ever lost
your purse or wallet you will then
still have access to all the account
and phone numbers you need to
cancel or freeze accounts before any
fraudulent charges can be made.
The subject of identity theft is very
personal, but when the imposter is
a relative or someone you know, this
magnifies the problem dramatically.
Also, if the imposter is an ex-spouse,
then the crime borders on harassment
and abuse. This is a difficult decision
to make because you feel betrayed,
embarrassed, violated and abused, but
what can you do about it?
You have 3 choices:
1 Pay the Debt Yourself.
However, before you do this, first
consider if you can afford to pay the
fraudulent debt and whether or not
this person would commit the crime
again. You may do yourself more harm
than good if you resolve the matter by
assuming responsibility for these debts.
•
Have
2 Ask the Creditors to Resolve the
Situation Without Police Involvement.
This is a tactic you may certainly try,
unfortunately, without an official police
report creditors are often not willing to
believe the situation is a justified case
of identity theft. Also, creditors will want
their money back and due to large
numbers of people falsely claiming
identity theft, they will expect to see a
police report.
3 Report the Identity Theft to the
Police. As stated earlier, you are
entitled to protection as a victim of
identity theft, but only if you report the
crime. Without an official report, the
law cannot protect you. This may be
especially hard to do if you know the
person who stole your identity, but what
you should be most concerned about
is clearing your good name. Also, don’t
forget, if you do not make a report, it
could be viewed later that you knew
about the fraudulent activity and you
did nothing to stop it.
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9. What is Child Identity Theft?
7
This is a fairly new crime about which
little documented evidence exists. This
crime occurs when another person,
for personal gain, has used a child’s
identity. The imposter may or may not
be known to the child or the child’s
family.
Receiving a pre-approved credit card
application though the mail in the
child’s name is not necessarily identity
theft, but you should run a credit report
check to make sure. Child identity theft
is broken into the 3 categories:
1 Financial
The imposter uses the child’s identity
for financial gain, mainly in obtaining
credit cards. The age on credit
applications is generally taken at face
value and rarely checked.
2 Criminal
This usually entails the child’s identity
being used to obtain a driver’s license.
Where to Get Further Help and Information
8
3 Cloning
This is a form of identity theft where
information about the child is sold
on the black market, either to illegal
immigrants or to people who are trying
to “re-start” their lives and avoid arrest.
Imposters may also search death
There are many web sites that can you
give you additional information and
guidance on identity theft, including
web sites of financial institutions and
creditors. The following are some
credible resources for obtaining more
information:
www.idtheftcenter.org
www.ftc.gov.os.statues/031224cra.pdf
certificates and find a person who
matches the imposter’s age. A copy of
the birth certificate can be purchased
(depending on state law) and the
imposter assumes the child’s identity.
www.ftc.gov
www.ssa.gov
www/nclnet.org/privacy/idtheft/index.htm
www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
www.consumer.gov/idtheft
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10. Identity Theft – A Quiz for Consumers
9
Identity thieves use numerous methods
to gain access to your personal financial information. Do you know how
you can reduce the risk of becoming a
victim of identity theft? Take this simple
quiz, and see how you score:
1. When I keep my ATM cards and
credit cards in my wallet, I never
write my PIN (Personal Identification
Number) on any of my cards.
YES
X
NO
X
ANSWER: Yes
REASON: If you lose your ATM or credit
card, identity thieves or other criminals
can have instant access to your bank
or credit card account.
2. When I leave my house, I take
with me only the ATM and/or credit
cards I need for personal or business
purchases.
YES
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IDENTITY THEFT
X
NO
X
4. When I receive my monthly bank
statements, credit-card bills, or other
documents with personal financial
information on them, I always shred
them before putting them in the trash.
ANSWER: Yes
REASON: If your wallet or purse is lost
or stolen, and you’re carrying fewer
cards, you’ll have to make fewer calls
to banks and credit-card companies
to report the loss and the odds of
fraudulent charges in our name will
be lower.
YES
X
NO
X
ANSWER: Yes
REASON: Someone who obtains your
credit-card number and expiration
date doesn’t need the actual card to
charge purchases to your account. If
you don’t look closely at your creditcard statement each month, you might
not have any recourse if fraudulent
transactions go through and you
don’t dispute them promptly with your
credit card company. As soon as you
see unauthorized charges on your
statement, contact the credit card
company immediately to report them.
NO
X
ANSWER: Yes
REASON: Some identity thieves aren’t
shy about “dumpster diving” – literally
climbing into dumpsters or rummaging
through trash bins to find identifying
information that someone threw out.
Buying and using a shredder in your
home or office is an inexpensive way to
frustrate dumpster divers and protect
your personal data.
3. When I receive my monthly creditcard bills, I always look carefully at the
specific transactions charged to my
account before I pay the bill.
YES
X
5. When I get mail saying I’ve been
pre approved for a credit card, and
don’t want to accept or activate the
card, I always tear up or shred the pre
approval forms before putting them in
the trash.
YES
X
NO
X
ANSWER: Yes
REASON: If you throw out the
documents without tearing them up
or shredding them, “dumpster divers”
can send them back to the credit-card
company pretending to be you but
saying that your address has changed.
If they use the account from a new
location, you may not know the account
is being used in your name until you
see it on your credit report.
6. I request a copy of my credit report
at least once a year.
YES
X
NO
X
ANSWER: Yes
REASON: Any consumer can request
one free copy of his or her credit report
per year. Reviewing your credit report
can help you find out if someone
has opened unauthorized financial
documents or taken out unauthorized
loans in your name. Contact each
of the three major credit bureaus to
request a copy. You may also request a
free copy of your credit report at www.
annualcreditreport.com.
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11. 7. If the volume of mail I receive at
home substantially decreases, I always
check with my local post office to see if
anyone has improperly filed a changeof-address card in my name.
YES
X
NO
X
ANSWER: Yes
REASON: Some identity thieves may try
to take over your credit card and bank
accounts and delay your discovery
of their criminal activities by having
your mail diverted to a new address
where they can go through it without
your knowledge. Your local post office
should have any change-of-address
cards in your name on file, and can
respond if you find that someone is
improperly diverting your mail.
8. If I think I may be victim of identity
theft, I immediately contact:
a) The Federal Trade Commission to
report the situation and get guidance
on how to deal with it.
YES
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IDENTITY THEFT
X
NO
X
b) The three major credit bureaus to
inform them of the situation.
YES
X
NO
Credit bureaus should also be notified
so they can flag your credit report.
This ensures that fraudulent activity
committed against you will not be
included in your credit report or
used against you if you ever need to
legitimately apply for new credit.
X
c) My local police department and
have an officer take a report.
YES
X
NO
X
Local police, by taking a report and
providing you with a copy, can help
you show creditors that an identity
thief has been conducting certain
transactions in your name and without
your permission.
d) Any businesses where the identity
thief conducted fraudulent transactions
in my name.
YES
X
NO
X
ANSWER: Yes to all
REASON: Identity theft is a crime under
federal law and under the laws of more
than 44 states, which carries serious
penalties including imprisonment
and fines. To help law enforcement in
investigating and prosecuting identity
theft, the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) maintains a national database
of complaints by identity theft victims.
The FTC, through a toll-free hotline
(1-877-ID-THEFT), can also help you
decide what steps to take in trying to
remedy the situation and restore your
good name and credit.
HOW DID YOU SCORE ON THIS QUIZ?
If you checked even Two or Three “NO”
boxes, it means that you need to take
more of the precautions described in
this quiz. Remember, identify thieves,
unlike robbers or fraudsters, don’t need
any personal contact with you in order
to commit their crimes. The more you
do to protect your personal information,
the lower the odds that you’ll become a
victim of identity theft.
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I dentity T heft – A
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12. Notes
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