Security Tips
Your ID's Been Stolen. Now What?
Step 1: Protect your finances
Contact Home State Bank & Trust Co. and any other financial institutions with which you do business immediately if you suspect your identity has been stolen. Home State Bank & Trust Co. can be reached at 620-241-3732.
Contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus. Get a copy of your credit report, which is free to ID theft victims. Ask that your file be flagged with a "fraud alert tag" and a "victim's statement." That will limit the thief’s ability to open new credit accounts, as new creditors will call you before granting credit, generally. Insist, in writing, that the fraud alert remain in place for seven years, the maximum, according to PrivacyRights.org.
Credit bureaus:
- Equifax - 1-800-525-6285
- Experian - 1-888-397-3742
- TransUnion - 1-800-680-7289
Step 2: File a police report
You will need a police report to dispute unauthorized charges and for any insurance claims. Be persistent; your local police department may suggest that this isn’t necessary, because they don’t want the paperwork hassle. Also, fill out an online ID Theft complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or call 1-877-ID-THEFT. That enters your case in the FTC’s “Consumer Sentinel” database, a nationwide list of ID theft cases which can be used by law enforcement officers to find patterns and catch criminals.
Step 3: Close all compromised accounts
The list may be wider than you realize. This includes accounts with banks, credit card companies and other lenders, and phone companies, utilities, ISPs, and other service providers. Dispute all unauthorized charges – The FTC offers a sample dispute letter on its Web site. Disputes may require a sworn statement and a police report. The FTC also offers a form affidavit which can be used for the sworn statement at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf.
Victims’ Resources
Identity Theft Prevention & Survival
www.identitytheft.org
Department of Justice’s Web Resources on Identity Theft and Identity Fraud
www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
Identity Theft Resource Center
www.idtheftcenter.org/index.shtml
Federal Trade Commission’s ID Theft Clearinghouse
www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
More Help
More detailed 17-step plan to follow if your ID is stolen
www.privacyrights.org/identity.htm
“When bad things happen to your good name” – FTC document full of sample dispute letters and other recovery procedures.
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm
Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice ID Theft page
www.cj.msu.edu/~outreach/identity
Sources: MSNBC News.
STAR Networks, Inc. – 2004
FDIC