Resolving an Identity Theft (“ID Theft”) Situation

Resolving an Identity Theft (“ID Theft”) Situation

Helpful information to assist you in resolving an Identity Theft (“ID Theft”) situation


The following steps will also help you protect your personally identifiable information (“PII”): 

1. Contact the institution where the ID Theft is suspected to have occurred
Advise them that you are a victim of ID Theft and ask them to provide you with the process and action items needed for disputing fraudulent accounts.

2. File an incident report with your local law enforcement
As a victim of a crime, you have the right to file the report within the jurisdiction you live in. You may also wish to file a report with the Internet Crimes Complaint Center (IC3), which is managed by the FBI.

3. File a victim’s complaint and affidavit with the federal trade commission (United States)
You can do this at IdentityTheft.gov

4. Review your credit report from the three major credit bureaus
Credit Bureaus, known as credit reporting agencies, are companies that collect, store and maintain information about you in order to produce a consumer credit report in the United States, there are three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
Review your credit report from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion carefully to review accounts and determine if there may be additional ID Theft or errors on your report. You may also want to order additional reports, as detailed in the sections outlined below.

5. Be sure to document and keep copies of every action taken
The institution may ask for documentation of your claim to assist in investigating the fraud. Items they request may include proof of your identity in the form of a copy of your driver’s license and/or social security card, any complaints you’ve filed regarding the fraud or proof of residency establishing that you were not residing where the fraud occurred. If utilities were established at a residency other than where you reside, showing proof of address will assist in the process.

Types of ID Theft and the additional steps you may wish to take

Synthetic Identity Theft

If you confirmed fraudulent accounts that are not reflected on your credit reports with any of the credit bureaus, you may be a victim of Synthetic Identity Theft. Synthetic Identity Theft is usually caused by someone using your Social Security Number combined with a different name and address. Synthetic Identity Theft typically doesn’t affect your credit reports. This is because the fraudulent inquiries and accounts post to the fraudulent, or Synthetic, credit report. Since the Synthetic credit report does not belong to you, the credit bureaus do not share information about the Synthetic credit reports, or even if one is found. While it will not affect your legitimate credit report, a fraudulent one can be problematic for you. Your SSN or SIN won’t verify to your name in certain records databases, and minors/young adults may be denied credit entirely if the synthetic file was created before a legitimate file was established for them.

Carefully review your credit reports with all three credit bureaus. Any fraudulent accounts/inquiries, and incorrect demographic information should be circled or highlighted, and disputed as fraudulent directly with each of the credit bureaus.
  1. Submit a dispute and request for suppression for each credit bureau that is reporting inaccurate or fraudulent information on your valid credit report.
  2. Send a letter to each credit bureau detailing the situation, along with a copy of your Driver’s License, Social Security Card / Social Insurance Number, and Proof of Residency to TransUnion, Experian and Equifax.
A dispute is when incorrect information is reflected in your how your legitimate accounts appear on your credit report. A suppression is to entirely remove fraudulent accounts/information from your credit report. They generally follow the same process, but the bureaus have up to 30 days to process a dispute and 4 days to process a suppression.
The process the credit bureaus require may change often. You will NOT receive confirmation if a Synthetic credit report is found. You may receive a copy of your credit report from the bureaus as a result of them receiving your Synthetic ID Theft letter and documentation. This is the only communication that the bureaus may provide you that they have received the Synthetic ID Theft dispute.

Criminal Fraud

Criminal Fraud occurs when your PII is used to commit a crime. You are typically notified by the court system when you receive a Citation/Violation, Summons, or Notice to Appear. You should reach out to the entity that produced the notice to confirm your PII is involved and that there are no clerical errors.

If the entity where the fraud occurred or the entity who sent the citation or summons has confirmed you are a victim of Criminal Fraud, there are specific tools available to help you navigate this unfortunate event:
  1. Submit a written request to the FBI for your complete background check. Requests can be sent to FBI Services and Information.
  2. Request from your local Department of Motor Vehicle Department a Motor Vehicle Report for motor vehicle related issues.
  3. Request from the White Pages a Court Runner Report. A Court Runner Report provides up-to-date criminal information, so you may confirm there were no crimes committed using your information (United States).

New Account Fraud

New Account Fraud occurs when your PII is used to open a new account. This could include, but is not limited to, checking and savings accounts, credit cards, auto loans, mortgage loans, cell phone accounts, and utility accounts. You may typically find out about this type of fraud by receiving a call or bill from the merchant or a collection agency. A new account that you are not aware of can also appear on your credit report.

ID Theft used to create a new account should be confirmed with the original merchant, not the collection agency. Collection agencies in their attempt to collect the debt may use skip-tracing tactics to search and locate individuals with close but not identical information.

Credit or Debit Card Compromise (Existing Account Fraud)

Existing account fraud occurs when a fraudulent transaction is processed using your valid credit or debit card number.

You should report the fraud to your financial institution as soon as possible and follow their instructions. Since it was your existing account that was compromised, there may be language in the merchant’s terms and conditions detailing how you can dispute the fraudulent activity.

Account Take Over Fraud

Account Take Over Fraud occurs when someone fraudulently accesses your existing account and makes changes to your information, orders new cards, new checks, or new services, or adds a new authorized user.

You should report the fraud to your financial institution as soon as possible and follow their instructions. Since it was your existing account that was compromised, there may be language in the merchant’s terms and conditions detailing how you can dispute the fraudulent activity.

Check Fraud

Check Fraud happens when a fraudulent transaction is processed using a routing number and checking/savings account number. You should report the fraud to your financial institution and follow their instructions. Check Fraud may or may not affect your personal checking/savings account.
  1. If your personal checking/savings account is affected- follow the steps outlined in the Existing Account Fraud below.
  1. Report the Unauthorized Transactions/Funds Transfer(s) to LifeLock within 90 days of becoming aware of the activity.
  2. Report any lost or stolen credit or debit cards to financial institutions immediately. Cancel the compromised debit/credit card and obtain a new card or account number.
  3. Dispute the Unauthorized Transactions/Funds Transfer(s) with the financial institution or merchant.
  4. File a Police Report that includes a summary statement about the fraudulent activity.
  5. Complete and return any affidavits or documents that the financial institution or merchant requests within their required timeframe.
  6. Comply with any reasonable requests made by the financial institution or merchant that will help their investigation.
  1. If your personal checking/savings account is not affected due to synthetic ID theft, you will want to work directly with the collections agency that contacted you.
You should request your ChexSystems and Certegy reports if you are experiencing Check Fraud as follows (United States):
  1. ChexSystems is a network of financial institutions that contribute information on mishandled checking and savings accounts to a central location. ChexSystems shares this information among member institutions to help them assess the risk of opening new accounts. Your ChexSystems report can be requested by phone at 800-428-9623 or online at Chexsystems. You can also work with them to add an alert or freeze to this report. You should dispute/suppress with them any discrepancies found on your ChexSystems Report.
  2. Certegy delivers check authorization and check cashing services to a wide variety of businesses and financial institutions throughout the world. Your Certegy report can be requested by phone at 800-237-3829 or by mail. 

Non Credit Loan Fraud

A Non-Credit Loan is a personal loan that uses non-credit based criteria to process applications. The most common type of Non-Credit Loans are payday loans and title loans. This type of fraud occurs when your PII is used to approve a non-credit based loan. You may be made aware of this type of fraud by receiving a collection call or bill in the mail. These can also appear on your credit report if they fall into delinquency.
  1. ID Theft for Non-Credit Loans should be confirmed with the original merchant, not the collection agency. Collection agencies in their attempt to collect the debt use skip-tracing tactics to search and locate individuals with close but not identical information.
  2. You should order your Teletrack report. Teletrack is an organization that tracks non-traditional credit consumer data used by payday loan lenders, cash advance sites and rent-to-own stores. Requests can be processed by calling Teletrack at 877-309-5226 (United States). 

Utilities Fraud

Utilities Fraud occurs when your PII is used to establish utility services like water, gas, cable, or electricity. It also includes wireless phone services. You may be made aware of this type of fraud by receiving a collection call or bill in the mail. These can also appear on your credit report if they fall into delinquency.
  1. ID Theft for Utilities Fraud should be confirmed with the original merchant, not the collection agency. Collection agencies in their attempt to collect the debt may use skip-tracing tactics to search and locate individuals with close but not identical information.
  2. NCTUE is a consumer reporting agency that maintains data such as payment and account history, reported by telecommunication, pay TV and utility service providers that are members of NCTUE. The Exchange Service Center is a third-party contractor of NCTUE and provides services to consumers on behalf of NCTUE. You can order your report online at NCTUE (United States).

Employment Fraud

Employment Fraud occurs when your PII is used to gain employment. You may be notified by the IRS or an Unemployment office (if you apply for benefits or are currently receiving benefits).
You should contact the employer to confirm your PII was used. If you do not know the name of the employer, you can request your Work History Report from the Social Security Administration at United States Social Security Administration. You will need to create an account online, then you will be able to request the report or review it online (United States).

Medical Fraud

Medical Fraud occurs when your PII or valid medical insurance is used to obtain goods or services at a Medical Facility or Pharmacy and can also be used to gain medical insurance coverage. You may become aware of the fraud by receiving a collection call or bill in the mail. These can also appear on your credit report if they fall into delinquency.
ID Theft should be confirmed with the original merchant, not the collection agency. Collection agencies, in their attempt to collect the debt may use skip-tracing tactics to search and locate individuals with close but not identical information.

Benefits Fraud

Benefits Fraud happens when your PII is used to receive unemployment, social security, disability, and other government benefits. You may become aware that you are a victim of Benefits Fraud when you apply for benefits and are denied.

Tax Fraud

Tax Fraud occurs when your PII is used to file either state or federal taxes. You may become aware that you are a victim of Tax Fraud when you attempt to file a tax return and are informed that a return has already been filed with your information.
  1. If you are a victim of federal tax fraud, you will need to mail in a hard copy of your tax return along with an IRS Form 14039, which is their ID Theft affidavit. The IRS can take up to 180 days to process the fraud claim once they receive it (United States).
  2. If you are a victim of state tax fraud, you will need to go to your state taxation authority’s website to determine what form they request for fraud disputes.
For more information about fraud prevention in Canada, go to Scam and Fraud Prevention - Service Canada



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