Identity Theft. Finding out if you have had your name
stolen, and what to do
Knowing that you have had your name stolen by identity
thieves is not always immediately apparent. The
criminals, who indulge in identity theft, work in sneaky and
methodical ways to steal your name, and they are adept at
covering their tracks. They plan their scam well in advance
using tried and tested tactics, so that by the time you
discover that your name has been used to buy goods or borrow
money for other people, they have reaped the fruits of their
deception, left the scene and dumped a whole pile of trouble in
your lap.
Once you've had your name stolen, you become another
statistic of the fastest growing crime in the UK and USA, and
unravelling the fraud and clearing your good name is no easy
matter.
It is said that prevention is better than a cure, and this is
particularly relevant in identity theft cases. Precautions
should be taken at all times to minimize the risk of such a
crime affecting you and your family. You should monitor all
your finances regularly to ensure you haven't already had your
name stolen.
Routine checks of all your financial accounts and the
accessing of your credit reports are the best ways of
maintaining a degree of control. If you are targeted, and some
or all of your accounts compromised, then this regular
monitoring will minimize the damage to your position.
It is a fact that many victims of Identity theft only
discover their name has been stolen well after the perpetrators
have moved on to another victim. The first indicators that all
is not well, can be debt collectors pursuing you for payment
for purchased goods you know nothing about, letters in the mail
referring to services you haven't used, and problems with your
credit history that adversely influence your own applications
for loans and mortgages.
You will discover that persons unknown, have used your name
and identity to defraud merchants out of cash and goods, and
that you are now expected to pay for it all. So you need to
clear your name. This can take quite some time. So:
Compile an accurate assessment of your financial accounts
affected by the fraud.
Contact your local law enforcement representative specialising
in identity theft and get them to file a police report
detailing the specifics of your case.
Contact the three credit reporting agencies and advise them of
the discovered fraud so they can flag your account, block
future requests for credit, and issue an identity theft
report.
Maintain a journal of all your 'face to face’ and telephone
conversations, and all correspondence regarding your position
as a victim of Identity theft, until the matter is resolved
The identity theft report issued by the credit bureaus, places
a fraud alert on your record that will block fraudulent
information from appearing in your credit file and on your
credit report, and will prevent companies that have been
defrauded, from pursuing you for payment.
Having your name stolen can take a long time before your good
name is restored, and it usually takes a lot of hard work to
get there.
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