My Identity was Stolen! What to Do If You Are the Victim of Identity Theft

Having your identity stolen can be a real life nightmare that can affect your finances in a horrible way! There are things you need to do right away once you realize you have been victimized to start the process of stopping the crimes that are being committed against you and to stop and more crimes from happening.

The first thing you must do is to notify one of the three major credit bureaus. Make a request for them to place an alert on your credit file. By notifying one of the bureaus, they will share the information you have given with the other two bureaus. By placing an alert on your credit file creditors must first contact you before opening new accounts in your name or even when making changes to existing accounts such as address changes. These are the three major credit bureaus: Equifax , Experian or TransUnion

While you're on the phone with one of the credit bureaus listed above request a free copy of your credit report. You should always monitor your credit reports but it is especially important to do so the first year after your discovery of identity theft to make sure there is no more activity or new accounts opened in your name.

File a police report right away. Request a copy of the report so you can submit it to your creditors and any others who may need it as proof of the crime. Always make copies to send and keep the original for your own file.

Call every place where the crime took place. When I say every where I mean all the stores, banks, websites, gas stations and anywhere else the credit cards were issued or used. Making them aware will stop future usage of the credit cards or bank accounts.

Call the Federal Trade Commission identity theft hotline (877-438-4338) and file a complaint. The Federal Trade Commission maintains a database of each and every identity theft case. Law enforcement officials are also able to access these reports to help research your case.