Help, my identity was stolen
Most people who have become identity theft victims have been at a loss for what they need to do next. Identity theft can happen to anybody and oftentimes you will have done nothing wrong to cause this.
Regrettably, a few scam artists use phishing scam techniques to rob your ID. If you discover that you have been a victim of identity theft, it is critical that you take action immediately and start to work on the damage that occurred by the identity thief. To start, determine what actually happened. Missing credit cards, drivers licenses, Social Security cards and other financial documents should be reported or canceled as soon as possible.
Canceling these will insure that they can no longer be used by anyone. You should also make sure that no purchases have occurred that were not authorized by you. Contact your credit card companies to get through this tough situation and to ensure that you will not be held responsible.
A respectable Internet security program will go a long way to protecting you online. The best ones include phishing applications. Be certain to get one that includes these features. You should also be certain to review your credit report as soon as possible. You can order free credit reports online. Be sure that everything on your credit report is correct. If you find a problem, be sure report it right away.
Ordering your credit report will either confirm that you have not suffered from identity theft or may identify where to look when your ID has been taken. If you do find accounts listed that you are not aware of it may be a sign that you have been struck by identity theft. Also be certain you validate the addresses listed to be sure no one has tried to obtain credit under your name using a different address. If you do find any problems with your credit report, it is important that you get in touch with the lenders to find out what is going on and to inform them that you did not open that account. You can get the numbers of these lenders on the credit report. This makes it easy to contact lenders about the identity theft.
Once you have made the initial reports you will want to keep working with the lenders to get to source the problem. At times you might even need the help of an attorney to help you get through the majority of the resolution process. It is imperative that you take steps to protect yourself and identify what you can do if you ever are the victim of identity theft.
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