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1. Report the Incident to a Law Enforcement Agency
A person who believes they are a victim of an Identity Theft is encouraged
to promptly report those facts to a law enforcement agency. In New Jersey
a victim can report an Identity Theft to the Office of the County Prosecutor
of the county where the theft is believed to have taken place, or to the
local police department. The address and telephone number for the County
Prosecutor's Office and the local police department can be found in the
blue government pages of your local telephone directory, under "County
Government" and "Local Government." Those law enforcement
agencies are responsible, in the first instance, for investigating such
offenses and for developing the necessary evidence to pursue the matter
as a criminal prosecution, if the facts warrant. Once a report has been
filed, request a copy of the report so that it will be available to send
to credit reporting agencies and creditors.
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2. Keep Complete Records
Become a record keeper! Keep detailed notes and records of all telephone
conversations with credit reporting bureaus, creditors or debt collection
agencies. Confirm all telephone conversations, in writing. Keep copies of
all correspondence sent and received. Send correspondence by certified mail,
return receipt requested. Keep a record of the time spent and any expenses
you incurred, in case you can request restitution in a later judgment or
conviction against the thief.
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3.
Obtain a Copy of Your Credit Report from the Credit Reporting Bureaus
Fraud victims are entitled to a free credit report (Note: by law NJ residents are entitled to one free credit report per year without being a victim of ID fraud, here's how). Therefore, a person who believes they are the victim of Identity Theft should
obtain a copy of their credit record. Carefully review the entire credit
reporting record. Any errors or actions that are suspect or fraudulent should
be immediately submitted to ALL of the credit reporting agencies. A list
of those agencies is found below.
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4. Notify All of the Credit Reporting Bureaus
Report the theft of any credit cards or credit card numbers to each credit
reporting agency. Request that all your accounts be "Flagged with a
fraud alert."
Submit a written victim
statement to be included in your credit report stating:
- Your identity has been stolen and has been used to apply
for credit fraudulently.
- Provide a contact telephone number to verify any credit applications.
- Request all applications for credit be confirmed telephonically to
the telephone number you have given, and then have those requests confirmed
in writing to your address.
Ask each credit reporting
bureau to do the following:
- Inform you how long the fraud alert will remain posted
to your file; and how you can extend the alert, if necessary. Be aware that reporting an identity theft to a credit reporting bureau
may not stop an identity thief from opening new fraudulent accounts in
your name. Therefore, a victim should request a free copy of their credit
report from each credit reporting bureau every few months in order to
monitor any new fraudulent activity.
- Inform you of the names, addresses and telephone numbers of any credit
grantor with whom fraudulent accounts have been opened. Request the credit
reporting bureau remove inquiries that they have generated due to the
fraudulent access.
- Notify all those who requested and received your credit report in the
last six months that the information they received, in your credit report,
is disputed.
Confirm all of these requests, in writing, to each credit reporting agency
notified.
Credit
Reporting Bureaus
Experian (formerly TRW)
P.O. Box 1017. Allen, TX 75013-2104
Toll-free Fraud Report: 1-888-397-3742
FAX: 1-800-301-7196
TDD: 1-800-972-0322
www.experian.com/consumer
Trans Union, Fraud Victim Assistance Department
P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634
Toll-free Fraud Report: 1-800-680-7289
TDD: 1-877-553-7803
www.tuc.com
Contact information to ORDER a credit report:
- Equifax
P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA 30348
1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com
- Experian (formerly TRW)
P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742 or 1-888 EXPERIAN
www.experian.com
- Trans Union
P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834
1-800-888-4213
www.transunion.com
Additional assistance concerning how to obtain credit
records can be obtained from the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
at 1-800-242-5846, or through the Division of Consumer Affairs Internet
Web site at www.nj.gov/oag/ca/credit.htm.
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5. Contact All Credit Card Companies, Creditors, Banks and Financial Institutions
Contact all credit card companies, creditors, banks and financial institutions
where you have accounts that may have been affected or where an account
may have been created in your name, without your knowledge.
1)
Request that those accounts be processed as “Account Closed at Consumer’s
Request.”
2) Get replacement cards with new account numbers.
3) Stop payments on any checks or withdrawal drafts that are suspect.
4) Change any passwords on the accounts.
5) Do not use the old password, mother's maiden name, birth date, any
portion of your Social Security number, or other easily obtained passwords.
Follow up all telephone contacts with a written confirmation.
6. Contact Check Verification
Companies
Contact the major check verification
companies if you have had checks stolen or bank accounts set up by an identity
thief. Inform the verification companies that you are an identity theft
victim.
- CheckRite - 1-800-766-2748
- ChexSystems - 1-800-428-9623 (closed checking accounts)
- CrossCheck - 1-800-552-1900
- Equifax - 1-800-437-5120
- International Check Services - 1-800-631-9656
- National Processing Co. (NPC) - 1-800-526-5380
- SCAN - 1-800-262-7771
- TeleCheck - 1-800-710-9898
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7.
Change All PIN Numbers
Immediately change your PIN number on any accounts, including any Automated
Teller Machine (ATM) accounts with banks, savings institutions, other
financial service entities, credit cards, On-line entities and merchants.
Change any passwords on the ATM accounts. Do not use: the old password;
your mother's maiden name; your birth date; any portion of your Social
Security number, including the last four digits; or other easily obtained
passwords.
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8. Contact Utility and Service Provider Companies
Contact utility and
service provider companies such as: the local telephone company; long distance
telephone company; cable company; internet service provider; and electric,
power, gas or water providers. Alert each company or service provider of
the theft of your identity and inform them that attempts may be made to
open new service using your identification information. Request that any
new request for service be confirmed with you and provide a telephone number
and mailing address. Keep a copy of all of these requests.
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9.
Contact Your Local Post Office
Notify your local Postal Inspector if you suspect an identity thief has
filed a change of your address with the post office or has used the mail
to commit fraud. To obtain the telephone number of your local post office
call 800-275-8777, or on the U.S. Postal Service Internet website at www.usps.gov/websites/depart/inspect.
Find out the address where any fraudulent credit cards were or are being
sent. Notify the local Postmaster for that address to forward all mail,
in your name, to your own address. You may also need to talk with the
mail carrier on the route where fraudulent mail is being sent. Confirm
all telephone conversations in writing.
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10.
Contact the Federal Trade Commission:
File a report of an identity theft and obtain assistance in restoring
credit by contacting the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center
at:
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20580
Toll-free: 1-877-438-4338
www.consumer.gov/idtheft
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11. Contact the Social Security Administration
Report a misuse or possible theft of your Social Security Number to the
Office of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration:
Social Security Administration, Fraud Hotline
Office of the Inspector General
P.O. Box 17768, Baltimore, MD 21235
Toll-free: 1-800-269-0271
Fax: 1-410-597-0018
www.ssa.gov/oig/hotline/
email: oig.hotline@ssa.gov
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12. Obtain a Copy of Your Criminal History Record
Request
a copy of your own Criminal History Record by contacting the New Jersey
Division of State Police:
New Jersey Division of State Police
State Bureau of Identification,
Criminal Information Unit
P.O. Box 7068,
West Trenton, NJ 08628-0068
1-609-882-2000, ext. 2878
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13.
Contact the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC)
For assistance in dealing with issues related to an Identity Theft involving
a New Jersey driver's license, vehicle registration or Title, contact:
Motor Vehicle Commission
Victim Assistance Unit
P.O. Box 166,
Trenton, NJ 08666-1666
609-633-9450
Note: Assistance
from the MVC is limited. The MVC cannot address issues involving a pending motor vehicle summons
or other official Notice from a New Jersey Court. With respect to any
matters or notices issued from a Court, which may be related to an Identity
Theft, it is necessary for the individual, or their attorney, to respond
to the specific Court where a summons is pending, or to the Court from
which the Notice originated or was issued.
14. Contact the FBI for Internet
or On-line Fraud:
If the theft of an identity is the result of, or otherwise connected to,
an Internet or other On-line fraud, contact the Internet Fraud Complaint
Center of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
to file an On-line complaint.
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15. Contact the U.S. State Department
Regarding Passport Fraud
All Identity Theft
victims, whether they have a Passport or not, should write to, or contact,
the United States Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, to alert
that agency of the theft of your identity. Victims should request the State
Department confirm, in writing to the address you have provided, any application
for a passport or changes of address etc.
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16. Contact Other Federal Agencies as Neccesary
Telephone numbers for Federal agencies in your area can be found in the
blue government pages of your local telephone directory, under "Federal
Government."
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