Are You a Victim of Identity Theft?

If you have become a victim of Identity Theft, we recommend that you take action immediately to clear your good name and your credit.

Identity Theft can be a very complex crime to investigate and may be very time consuming to resolve. Because of this complexity, we have devised a 5 step guide to help you through the process. By following the steps outlined below, you will begin taking your identity back and you will be able to protect yourself against further damage.

You may notice that filing a police report is not the first step. Unless you have information that will lead immediately to a suspect and it is time imperative that this person is apprehended, we recommend that you complete steps 1 - 4 before contacting us to file a police report. Since the ability for the police department to investigate and solve these types of crimes is usually contained in the details, it will be vitally important for you to have gathered all of the pertinent information that you can before filing the police report. Additionally, much of the information that the department will need to investigate your case is available only to you, the account holder or client, and will be difficult for department detectives to obtain.

Of course, we understand how devastating, frustrating, and overwhelming Identity Theft is and we are always available to help. Should you need assistance and wish to speak with an officer about this crime, call (801) 840-4000.

STEP 1: Read the FTC's Identity Theft Guide

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has developed a useful, easy to read, comprehensive guide to dealing with Identity Theft entitled, "ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name."

We recommend that you download, read, and follow this guide as it will help explain many aspects of Identity Theft in much greater depth than can be provided here. In addition to complete explanations of all aspects of Identity Theft, this guide contains sample letters to creditors, charts and lists to help you get organized, various agencies' contact information, and much, much more. It will be invaluable to you as you work to resolve this problem.

STEP 2: Get Organized

Everyone from the police to creditors are going to be asking a lot of the same questions. You will be dealing with numerous different people from numerous different organizations. Take the time now to get organized and to get the facts that you know straight. Write your story down and find a place that you can keep all of the paperwork that you will collect.

Use the following questions as a guide if you are not sure what to write down.

• How did you first discover that your identity had been stolen or used fraudulently?

• What are the account numbers and other details of those accounts affected?

• Where did any frauds using your information occur? Where were fraudulent applications presented or where were fraudulent accounts opened? What names and addresses were used on those applications or accounts?

• Who else might be a suspect? Don't rely on hunches - what do the facts say? What are those facts? What information can you provide about the suspect?

• Who have you been in contact with regarding your identity being stolen? Keep track of names of companies, investigators, or customer service reps as well as phone numbers, email addresses, fax numbers, or addresses for anyone that you have dealt with. Include dates and times you spoke to them as well as a brief summary of those conversations.

• Do you have proof that any crimes have occurred? Keep track of any statements, letters, faxes, or any other documentation or correspondence that has any bearing on your case.

• Be sure to include your personal information. This may seem invasive, but will be absolutely necessary for the police to investigate any crimes and will be needed by creditors to verify account information.

• Be ready to provide your full name (first, middle, and last), date of birth, Social Security number, driver license number (and state), home and business addresses as well as any home, business, cell, fax, pager or other telephone numbers that belong to you.

Linda Foley, the Executive Director of the Identity Theft Resource Center and a victim of Identity Theft herself, has provided a document to help you get organized.

STEP 3: Contact the 3 Major Credit Bureaus

Contact the Fraud Departments of each of the three major credit bureaus and request that a "Fraud Alert" be placed on your file. Include a victim's statement that asks creditors to call you before any new accounts are opened in your name.

Equifax - www.equifax.com    To report fraud, call (800) 525-6285

Experian - www.experian.com  To report fraud, call (888) 397-3742

TransUnion - www.transunion.com  To report fraud, call (800) 680-7289

After you have spoken to the Fraud Departments of each of the credit bureaus, request that each of the three bureaus provide you with a free copy of your credit report so that you can dispute any inaccurate information.

Because fraudulent information may be contained in your credit report, the credit bureaus must give you a copy for free if you make the request in writing.

Be sure to indicate that you believe your report contains fraudulent information in your written request.

To request a free copy of your Equifax credit report, write:

Equifax
PO BOX 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

To request a free copy of your Experian credit report, write:

Experian
PO BOX 9532
Allen, TX 75013

To request a free copy of your TransUnion credit report, write:

TransUnion
Fraud Victim Assistance
PO BOX 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Once you have received copies of your credit reports, review them carefully to determine if there is any fraudulent information or potential suspect information contained therein.

STEP 4: Contact All Creditors Involved

Contact all creditors that show fraudulent activity. Let them know that your accounts may have been used without your permission or that new accounts have been opened in your name.

If your accounts have been used fraudulently, ask that new credit cards and account numbers be issued to you. Check billing statements carefully for fraudulent activity.

Download the FTC's Identity Fraud Affidavit form below. This is a form that many banks and creditors will accept when you report fraudulent accounts and fraudulent activity. It is convenient because you need only fill out the information once, then you can copy the form and send it to whomever needs it.

Check with your banks and creditors to see if they will accept the ID Theft Affidavit form when reporting fraudulent activity on your accounts. If they will not, ask that your creditors send you their fraud dispute forms.

STEP 5: File a Police Report

File a police report with the police agency that has jurisdiction where the fraudulent activity occurred. For example, if someone used your personal information to open an account in Salt Lake City, Utah, you would contact Salt Lake City Police Department to file a fraud case.

If a fraud was committed here in Sandy or you cannot ascertain where the fraud occurred and you are a Sandy City resident, please contact the Sandy City Police Department to file a police report.

Because of the complexity of Identity Theft and Fraud cases, these types of crimes cannot be reported online at this time.

To file a police report with the Sandy City Police Department, please call our dispatch center anytime at (801) 840-4000. You may also file your report by visiting our department located in the east entrance of Sandy City Hall at 10000 S Centennial Parkway (170 West) in Sandy, Utah (just north of South Towne Mall).

Before you call or visit our department to file your report, please make certain that you have completed the previous four steps and that you have copies of all documentation that is pertinent to your case. This information will be necessary to file the police report.

Once you have filed your police report, your banks, creditors, credit bureaus, etc. may require that you send a copy of the report to them. At the time you filed your police report, you will have been issued a "case number" by the officer that took your report. Typically, this is the only bit of information that you will need to provide to your creditors.

However, if your banks or creditors insist that you send the actual police report, a copy may be obtained by visiting our department 4 business days from the day the police report was originally filed.

To protect your privacy, we will only release your police report to you in person after we verify your photo identification.

There is a nominal charge (under $10) to obtain a copy of your police report.

If you have further questions about Identity Theft, please contact us at (801) 840-4000.