Credit ID Protection Services » Uncategorized http://creditidprotectionservices.com Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:34:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 en hourly 1 What to Do if you are a victim of Identity Theft http://creditidprotectionservices.com/2009/08/11/what-to-do-if-you-are-a-victim-of-identity-theft/ http://creditidprotectionservices.com/2009/08/11/what-to-do-if-you-are-a-victim-of-identity-theft/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:24:03 +0000 http://creditidprotectionservices.com/?p=3 If you do have the misfortune to be targeted by identity thieves, then it is very important you report the crime as soon as possible, as not only will this help to limit the damages to your good credit name and existing accounts, but the length of time you take to report the crime could also have a significant bearing on the successful outcome of your case.  For example many credit providers will expect you to have reported the identity theft crime within at least two weeks or you discovering it has happened, or even sooner if you have had your credit or debit cards stolen.  If you leave it too long then they may consider this to be misconduct on your part, as it will allow the thieves more time to run up charges, and they may well hold you responsible for any debts of fraudulent charges run up on your accounts resulting from this, leaving you liable to pay them.

Therefore the first thing you need to do if you discover you are a victim is to report it as quickly as possible to the relevant parties:
•    Credit Providers – contact your bank accounts, credit card companies and any other credit providers and alert them that your identity has been stolen.  For those accounts you feel may be at risk you can cancel the cards or freeze the account temporarily until you have resolved your case to stop any thieves from stealing money or running up charges.

•    Police – identity theft is a serious crime and needs to be reported to the police as soon as possible.  Make as many notes about the crime as possible for the report, such as when you discovered the theft had happened, whether any of your plastic cards or key identity documents (passports, drivers license etc) were lost or stolen and so on.

•    Credit Agencies – credit agencies hold your consumer credit report, and must be notified if identity theft occurs so that they can monitor your credit report and ensure thieves are not trying to apply for credit in your name.

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