DELANCO TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT

VICTIM’S IDENTITY THEFT GUIDE

The following information is intended to assist you in making necessary notifications concerning the theft of your identity.  This information is provided for your convenience and may not represent a complete listing of all contacts that you will be required to make.

Ø      Contact the Federal Trade Commission – Identity Theft Hotline @ 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338) and speak with a specially trained counselor who will attempt to assist you with credit-related problems resulting from identity theft. 

Ø      For additional information, you can access the Federal Trade Commission’s website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. 

Ø      Contact the fraud departments of each of the three credit reporting agencies.  Provide the agency with the full details of the theft, a case number provided by the police, and request that a “Fraud Alert” be placed on your file. 

Ø      Request a copy of your credit report.  Review the report for errors or fraudulent entries.  Submit any changes necessary and get a new copy at a later date to ensure that changes or problems have been corrected. 

Ø      Contact all credit card companies where you have an existing account and notify them of the fraud.  Close existing accounts and open new accounts with new PIN numbers and passwords. 

Ø      Contact banks and financial institutions.  To be safe, close accounts and open new accounts with new PINS and passwords.  Major check verification companies should also be contacted and asked to notify retailers not to accept your stolen or misappropriated checks.  ATM cards that may have been compromised should be canceled and new ones obtained with new PINS and passwords. 

Ø      If there is reason to believe that investment or brokerage accounts have been tampered with or otherwise compromised, contact the broker or investment account manager, as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Ø      If unauthorized new accounts have been opened through utility or telephone companies, or if your own service is being used to make unauthorized calls, contact the utility or service provider immediately.  If the companies do not cooperate, contact the Board of Public Utilities @ 1-800-624-0331 and/or the Federal Communications Commission @ 1-800-688-9889. 

Ø      If there is reason to believe that your Social Security Number is being misused, contact the Social Security Administration’s Fraud Hotline @ 1-800-269-0271 

Ø      If your driver’s license or driver’s license number is involved in the identity theft, contact the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission @ 1-888-486-3339 

Ø      If someone has filed a bankruptcy in your name, you should contact the U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee in the region where the bankruptcy was filed.   

Ø      Contact all law enforcement agencies where identity theft or fraud may have taken place.  Obtain a copy of the police report from any agency where fraud/theft has been reported.  This is very important as these police agencies may assist you in dealing with creditors. 

Ø      Because the types of identity theft are so varied, other agencies or entities may need to be contacted.  If any agency or entity, not otherwise discussed above, is involved in some manner, it should be immediately contacted. 

RESOURCES:  

Credit Reporting Bureaus:  

Equifax

Order credit report:  Call 800-685-1111 or Website:  www.equifax.com

Hearing Impaired:  Call 800-255-0056  (AT&T Hearing Impaired Line) 

Experian (Formerly TRW)

Order credit report:  Call 888-397-3742 or Website:  www.experian.com

Hearing Impaired:  TDD 800-972-0322 

TransUnion

P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA  92834Report fraud:  Call 800-680-7289 and write to above address

Order credit report:  Call 800-888-4213 or Website:  www.transunion.com

Hearing Impaired:  TDD 877-553-7803 

Social Security Administration

Order Earnings and Benefits Statement:  800-772-1213

Report Fraud:  800-269-0271        E-mail:  oig.hotline@ssa.gov                 Website:  www.ssa.gov 

FBI Internet Fraud Complaint Center

Website:  www.ic3.gov 

United States Department of Justice – Identity Theft Information

Website:   www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html 

Identity Theft Resource Center

Call:  858-693-7935          E-mail:  itrc@idtheftcenter.org   Website: www.idtheftcenter.org 

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Call:  619-298-3396         

E-Mail:  prc@privacyrights.org Website:  www.privacyrights.org