Identity theft is a crime in which an imposter obtains key pieces of personal information, such as Social Security, credit card or driver's license numbers, in order to impersonate someone else often for financial gain. The information can be used to obtain credit, merchandise, and services in the name of the victim, or to provide the thief with false credentials. In addition to running up debt, an imposter might provide false identification to police, creating a criminal record or leaving outstanding arrest warrants for the person whose identity has been stolen.
If you think you are a victim of identity theft take the following actions:
- Close accounts and cancel credit cards where suspicious activity occurred
- File a Police Report
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission
- Contact the fraud department at each of the three major credit bureaus:
- For check fraud contact the three major check verification companies
- TeleCheck 800-710-9898
- Certegy 800-437-5120
- International Check Services 800-631-9656
For more information, please read our Identity Theft Protection brochure.