How to Report Identity Theft

Identity theft is a serious crime that can temporarily ruin the financial and credit situation of the victim. As such, you should constantly monitor your credit report and credit score to insure that your identity is safe. The best way to prevent an occurrence of identity theft is by engaging in preventative measures. You do not want to find out that your identity has been stolen by way of creditor and bank phone calls telling you that you are delinquent on certain accounts or that your checking account has been cleaned out. Therefore, by engaging in prevention, you will significantly decrease the possibility of having your identity stolen.

Not matter how strong your preventative and safety measures are, there is a slight chance that your identity can be stolen. As such, should you discover that your identity has been stolen, you have to take immediate action. Therefore, the question becomes to whom do you report the identity theft? The truth is, an incident of identity theft needs to be reported to many different entities.

First and foremost, you have to contact your creditors and your bank. Keep in mind that you should first contact the credit card companies and banks that have been affected by the identity theft. After this, you have to contact the credit card companies and banks that were not affected by the incident. When contacting the credit card companies and banks that were affected, you need to tell them which items were fraudulently charged and what amounts were fraudulently withdrawn. You have to make sure that the banks and credit card companies cancel your current account numbers and that you get new account numbers. In regard to the credit card companies and banks that were not affected, you need to put them on notice that such an incident has occurred and that they should not approve any charges or withdrawals without your consent.

After you get your finances squared away, it may be prudent for you to file a police report. Keep in mind that there is probably very little that the police can do to remedy this situation. However, if you file a report, you have some proof that you tried to do something. Additionally, should a credit card company or bank require a record of a police report in order to reimburse you for the stolen funds, the police report will come in handy.

Take care of your financial situation first and then notify the police. Following this procedure will ensure that you have covered all of your bases.