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Identity Theft: What to do if you've given your personal
information to a scammer
Everyone makes a mistake once in a while, so let's assume you fell for one of
the scammer's cons, and gave him your social security number, a fax of your
passport, a credit card number, etc. What do you do now to prevent further
damage, such as identity theft?
Click here if you have sent money to a scammer or are corresponding with a
scammer about a lottery, sweepstakes, loan, money transfer, cashiers check or
inheritance.
What should I do if I think my identity has been stolen or compromised?If you think your identity
may have been stolen,
here's what to do now. Keep a log of all conversations
including date, name, phone number, and the information provided:
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DO NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE SCAMMERS! They are
dangerous criminals. You can be physically injured and even killed by fraud
criminals. Do not travel to meet them or "claim your winnings". Some people
who traveled to Nigeria and South Africa been beaten, kidnapped, or
murdered.
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Contact your bank - If you think you’re a victim of
identity theft or account fraud, you should call your bank, tell them what
happened and ask them to monitor for unusual activity and advice whether you
should close the account and open a new checking or savings account.
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Contact the fraud departments of each of
the
three major credit bureaus
(outside of the US may have different agencies) to place a fraud alert on
your credit file. The fraud alert requests creditors to contact you before
opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts.
Also provide a copy of your driver's license to each
agency's fraud unit in order to register an affidavit.
Contact them in writing, via certified receipt request at the post office.
Click on the
blue link or call their phone number:
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File a police report. Get a copy of the report to
submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.
Keep a log of all conversations including date, name, phone number, and the
information provided.
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Obtain new identity documents - If you sent your passport
number or faxed a copy of it to the scammers, or done the same with your
driver's license or other government documents, obtain a new document - be sure
to explain what happened, so they cancel your old one and give you a new number.
Call the Social
Security Administration and all creditors with whom you have accounts to let
them know you have been the victim of identity theft.
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If you have seen unauthorized charges: Close the accounts
that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
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File your complaint with the FTC. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Click on the link at left or call the FTC’s identity theft hotline toll-free at
1 (877) IDTHEFT or
(877)-438-4338. The hotline is staffed by
counselors trained to help victims and take their complaints. The
FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement
agencies for investigations. Filing a complaint also helps us learn more about
identity theft and the problems victims are having so that
we can better assist you.
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File a Financial Loss complaint
form online with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is a
partnership between the National White Collar Crime Center and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation.
- Complete the
FTC identity theft affidavit,
which will assist you in reporting to many
companies that a new account has been open
in your name. Use the
ID Theft Affidavit when disputing new unauthorized accounts.
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Contact your state
attorney general! to alert them to the scam or fraud activity.
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For more in-depth information on recovering from
identity theft and help with specific problems, read
ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name.
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Stay current with new scams as the emerge, so you don't
have this happen again
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