5 Institutions to Contact When Victimized by Identity Thieves

Anyone can become victim of identity theft. It is one of the most common crimes in our society, and the worst part is we do not know if we have been victimized of it until it is too late. It is, therefore, advisable to contact the required authority as soon as you know about identity theft.

5 institutions to inform about identity theft

Financial institutions

The sooner you do it, the better it will be. The goal of an identity thief is to take financial benefit by stealing your personal information, either directly or indirectly. A thief may try to get a credit or debit card on your name, so you should inform financial institutions immediately, and ask to stop payment on any check or card until you give permission again.

Creditors

Call your creditors and tell them that you have been victimized by identity thieves, so ask them not to give any cash or anything on your name. You should also ask if someone has already used your identity to get some benefit from them. If they say yes then tell them you want to challenge that transaction, as it was not you.

Credit Bureau

Call any of the credit bureaus and inform the agency about the mishap. Inform them that your information may be used to get new loan or credit card. They will put a fraud alert on your SSN (social security number), and a credit freeze will come into effect.

Police

You need to file a complaint regarding the identity theft with your local police department. Give them all the details they seek. Help them catch the thief.

Contact FTC

FTC or the Federal Trade Commission may not do a crime investigation, but upon being informed, they may push the case to proper authority that will take care of the things.

You should also call Social Security issuer and ask for a report of transaction that might have happened from the month when you think your identity was stolen. These steps, if taken, will minimize the damage done by an identity thief.