Identity Theft Checklist

Identity theft could affect anyone at anytime, so it is important that you are prepared and have a checklist ready to go, listing all of the relevant authorities and organizations you need to contact.  By reporting identity theft quickly you can help to minimise the affects of the crime on your own finances and good name, and you could also help the authorities to track and prosecute these crimes more effectively – credit protection.

Checklist of Authorities

You should contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act this department is responsible for processing complaints about identity theft and referring cases to any relevant authorities such as law enforcement officials and credit bureaus.  The FTC also provides lots of practical advice on how to protect yourself against identity theft and also what steps to take if you do become a victim of these crimes.  You may also want to contact your local police department in the event your identity has been compromised, especially if you have any ideas on how this happened and who may have been involved, and as identity theft is a serious crime and could involves significant levels of fraud the FBI and the Secret Service may also be notified.  If you have become a victim of tax fraud then you will need to notify the Internal Revenues Service (IRS) using their fraud hotline on 1-800-829-0433 and if your Social Security Number has been stolen you will also need to contact the SSA.

Checklist of Account Providers

If your identity has been stolen you will need to carry out a check of all of your personal financial accounts in order to ensure that none of them have been tampered with.  Make a list of all of your accounts and the fraud hotlines and contact details for each provider, so that you can contact them quickly to report identity theft.