Identity theft has been a major consumer crime in the United States in recent times, and it is continuing to grow at an alarming rate. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information, such as your name, Social Security number, credit card number, or other identifying information, without your permission in order to commit fraud or other crimes.

Identity theft is a serious crime. People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years and a lot of their hard-earned money cleaning up the mess that thieves have made of their good name and credit record. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, be refused loans for education, housing, or cars, or even get arrested for crimes they didn't commit.

Responding to Identity Theft

If you think your identity has been stolen, here are some things you should do:

1. Contact the fraud department of any of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit file. The fraud alert requests creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. As soon one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will be automatically notified to place fraud alerts. Once the alert is placed, you may order a free copy of your credit report from all three major credit bureaus.
2. Close the accounts that you know or believe to have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Use the ID Theft Affidavit to dispute new unauthorized accounts.
3. File a police report. Ask for a copy of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.
4. File your complaint with the FTC, which maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. Filing a complaint also helps us learn more about identity theft and the problems victims are having so that we can better assist you.