Protecting Your Identity From the Thieves Who Steal Them
What to do if you’re a victim of Identity Theft

It was like any other Saturday evening…my husband, son and I enjoying a relaxing meal at a local restaurant. And as always, we ate (way) too much food and somehow managed our stuffed selves home to watch a movie and sink deeply into “slumber land.” It was the next morning, though, when the chaos erupted. Waking up before anyone else (as I so often do), I was planning on running to our local convenience store to pick up some milk for breakfast. I quickly donned the wrinkled clothes from last night (yes, last night’s clothes) and went searching for my keys and purse. I looked and I looked, but no purse, no keys. I wasn’t panicking because this was so often a common event for me.

“Did anyone see my purse?” No...

“Has anyone seen my keys?” No...

But after fours hours of retracing my steps and still no purse or keys, I was beginning to get frantic. I called the restaurant to see if anyone had found a purse…no luck. I scoured the house and all of those out-of-the-way places where my purse could be hidden…still no luck. I checked the cars, the garage…no purse, no keys.

Now there’s good news and bad news to this story. The good news is that the restaurant found my purse two days later (btw – this was after calling them 3 times and stopping by twice). According to one manager, it had been concealed under some papers in his office, only he didn’t know it was there because another manager had been on duty the night I forgot the purse. Now the bad news…I had already notified the appropriate law enforcement authorities, credit bureaus, closed my bank accounts/credit card accounts, ordered a new driver’s license, ATM card (you get the picture). What a pain…but not nearly the pain I would have experienced had someone actually stolen my identity.

Unfortunately, I was well-prepared when my parents called me two weeks later with the news that someone was writing checks against their checking account. Apparently, the criminal had gotten a check from my parents, ordered duplicates from one of the many mail-order check companies, and started writing checks. More than $5000 was stolen before they even realized it. Fortunately, the bank reimbursed my parents’ checking account, but went back to the merchants to collect its money. The bank also suggested that my parents minimize their use of checks (which are very easy to copy), and begin using a debit card instead.

If you suspect that someone has used your name, Social Security number, or other personal information to get credit or a loan, the following information can help you.

1. Notify a Credit Reporting Agency. Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three Credit Reporting Agencies to place a fraud alert on your credit report.

The fraud alert directs creditors to contact you before opening new accounts or changing any existing accounts. Just call one of the three because the company you call is required to notify the other two so they can also attach a fraud alert to your file. After placing a fraud alert in your file, you can order free copies of your credit reports. If requested, only the last four digits of your Social Security number will appear on your credit reports. Once you get your credit reports, review them carefully. Look for inquiries from companies you haven't contacted, accounts you didn't open, and debts on your accounts that you can't explain.

2. Close bank/credit card accounts. Close the accounts that you know or believe have been criminally exposed or opened fraudulently. Follow-up in writing, and include copies of supporting documents. Send your letters by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you have record of what the company received and when. When disputing new unauthorized accounts, you’ll need the ID Theft Affidavit so that you’re not held responsible for the new accounts.

3. File a report with the police. This can be your state or local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Request a copy or the number of the report. Frequently, you’ll need to provide this to creditors as proof that a crime was committed.

4. File a complaint with the FTC. You can call the FTC's identity theft hotline at 877-438-4338 to file a complaint or complete a complaint form online. While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, your complaint helps them investigate fraud, and can lead to law enforcement action. Filing a complaint also helps them learn more about identity theft and the problems victims are having. For more in-depth information on recovering from identity theft and help with specific problems, please visit the FTC’s website.

There were several things I have learned from (almost) losing my identity. First, I needed to stop carrying a purse around stuffed full of personal information about me and my family. Now I carry only the essential cards and personal information that I need and keep the rest in a lockbox at home. Second, I’ve identified a spot in the home to store my purse…and I put it there, consistently, so I’m not wasting time searching for it. Third, I’ve learned to trust my instincts and be persistent. Had I not called and visited the restaurant multiple times, who knows where my purse (and all my personal information) would be now? Finally, no one is exempt from identity theft. Because of the expansiveness of the Internet, the person who steals your identity could very well live on the other side of the world. How? Just see our article on phishing.