My identity has been stolen. What steps should I take to protect myself?

If you are a victim of identity theft or fraud, act immediately to minimize the damage to your personal funds and financial accounts, as well as your reputation.

Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report the situation, whether Online, by telephone toll-free at 1-877-ID THEFT 877-438-4338 or TDD at 866-653-4261, or, by mail to:
Consumer Response Center, FTC
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580

Contact all creditors with whom your name or identifying data have been fraudulently used. For example, you may need to contact your long-distance telephone company if your long-distance calling card has been stolen or you find fraudulent charges on your bill.

Contact all financial institutions where you have accounts that an identity thief has taken over or that have been created in your name but without your knowledge. You may need to cancel those accounts, place stop-payment orders on any outstanding checks that may not have cleared, and change your Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card, account, and Personal Identification Number (PIN).

Call the fraud units of the three principal credit reporting companies:

Equifax

  • Equifax Contact Information
  • Report fraud, call 800-525-6285 or write to
    P.O. Box 740250
    Atlanta, GA 30374
  • Order a copy of your credit report ($8 in most states) by calling 800-685-1111.To dispute information in your report, call the phone number provided on your credit report or write to
    P.O. Box 740241
    Atlanta, GA 30374
  • Opt out of pre-approved offers of credit, call 888-567-8688 or write to Equifax Options,
    P.O. Box 740123
    Atlanta, GA 30374

Experian

  • Experian Contact Information
    Report fraud, call (888) EXPERIAN or 888-397-3742, fax to 800-301-7196, or write to
    P.O. Box 1017
    Allen, TX 75013
  • Order a copy of your credit report: P.O. Box 2104, Allen TX 75013, or call (888) EXPERIAN. To dispute information in your report, call the phone number provided on your credit report.
  • Opt out of pre-approved offers of credit and marketing lists, call (888) 5OPTOUT or write to
    P.O. Box 919
    Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion

  • TransUnion Contact Information
  • Report fraud, call 800-680-7289 or write to:
    P.O. Box 6790
    Fullerton, CA 92634
  • Order a copy of your credit report by calling 800-888-4213($8 in most states), or write to:
    P.O. Box 390
    Springfield, PA 19064
  • Dispute information in your report, call the phone number provided on your credit report.
  • Opt out of pre-approved offers of credit and marketing lists, call 800-680-7293 or (888) 5OPTOUT or write to:
    P.O Box 97328
    Jackson, MS 39238

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1. What do I do if online incident reporting is not right for me?
2. What if this incident happened in another city or town? Can I file a report using this online police citizen reporting system?
3. What is a known suspect?
4. My cell phone has been stolen. What steps should I take aside from filing a report?
5. My identity has been stolen. What steps should I take to protect myself?