What should you do if you are a victim of identity theft?
Dealing with identity theft is stressful and time-consuming, you may not know where to start.
Cyber and Privacy expert David Derigiotis has put together an excellent resource so you can be prepared should the worse happen.
We often talk about what people can do to avoid scams and fraud but when it does happen, a game plan is needed.
David Derigiotis, Cyber and Privacy expert
“I am sharing this important resource but I hope you will never have to use it.
I recently put together a recovery roadmap for the family member of a colleague dealing with identity theft. They did not know where to start for untangling the mess some criminal put them in-most people don’t. I want to provide greater assistance in sharing this recovery tool with a broader audience in the event it is needed. The sample letter in this document is right from the FTC website as well as many of the steps outlined in the path to recovery.
Please feel free to download this plan and share it. Have it readily available in the event that you, a family member or client experiences some form of ID theft or fraud. We often talk about what people can do to avoid scams and fraud but when it does happen, a game plan is needed.”
We often talk about what people can do to avoid scams and fraud but when it does happen, a game plan is needed.
The resource includes steps you should take, in detail:
- File an identity theft report with the FTC
- Use the FTC identity report to file a case with your local law enforcement
- Call the fraud department of each business where an account was opened
- Request a copy of your credit report with each of the national credit bureaus
- Consider placing a fraud alert and security freeze with the above bureaus
- And a pre-written letter template to a credit bureau. The sample letter will help remove inaccurate information on your credit report. You just need to replace the text in brackets to customize the letter to your specific identity theft incident.
Download the resource for instruction on how to complete each point above.