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Identify
Theft
Everyday, hundreds
of Americans have their identify stolen through various
means. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal
information without your permission to commit fraud or other
crimes. While you can't entirely control whether you will
become a victim, there are steps you can take to minimize
the risk.
If you have lost personal information or identification, or
you believe it has been stolen from you, taking certain
steps quickly can minimize the potential for identify
theft.
1) Close accounts, like credit cards and bank accounts.
2) File a report with the police. Get a copy of the report.
This may be used to supply your creditors and others that
may require proof of the crime
3) Call the toll-free fraud number of any of the three
nationwide consumer reporting companies (Equifax, Experian,
or TransUnion) and place an initial fraud alert on your
credit reports. Once you place the fraud alert in your file,
you are entitled to order free copies of your credit
reports.
4) File a complaint with the Federal Trades Commission. They
maintain a database of identify theft cases. Filing a
complaint will help them learn more about identify theft and
the problems victims are having.
Don't be an idenitfy theft statistic. Do what you need to
get protected.
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