What To Do If You Fall Victim We have covered how to prevent, but what do you do if you are already a victim? The Answer: Act Quickly. There are five major steps you should do once you realize you’ve been victimized by Identity Theft: 1. Contact the fraud department from 1 of the 3 credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on your accounts. Once you have a fraud alert you can get a free copy of credit report. See how many fraudulent accounts were opened and close them. 2. File a police report and get a copy for your records. The police report will let you get information from the creditors about the fraudulent accounts. 3. Close all accounts that were opened or used fraudulently by contacting the company’s fraud department. After you have spoken to some one in the fraud department and closed the account, follow up in writing and send copies of the documents that support your claim including the police report. Send copies not originals. You can use the FTC ID Theft Affidavit 4. After you have resolved a disputed charge with a company, ask for a letter stating that the matter has been closed. Keep copies of your papers and correspondence, and a record of all of your conversations with companies where accounts were opened or used fraudulently. 5.File a complaint with the FTC. ftc.gov/idtheft or1-877-ID-THEFT. Reporting your complaint can help law enforcement officials across the country with their investigations. The FTC also provides counselors to help you through this difficult time. The “Big Three” Credit Reporting Agencies Experian Order Report: 888-397-3742 Fraud Unit: 888-397-3742 experian.com Transunion Order Report: 800-888-4213 Fraud Unit: 800-680-7289 transunion.com Equifax Order Report: 800-685-1111 Fraud Unit: 800-525-6285 Equifax.com