Using the Identity Theft Hotline
Noticed a handful of discrepancies of your credit card statement or your credit report and suspect you’ve been victimized by identity thieves, who should you call up? You should know your identity theft hotline. Also you can call your bank, your credit card organization as well as retail store where you've got a credit line, this must be done so one can minimize your liability. It really is simplier and easier to get out of the problem, any time you called and reported the possibility of identity theft.
Depending on your situation, you can report identity theft to the following agencies:
The Federal Trade Commission
If you are having a difficult time connecting to the institution involved in your case, you can call the FTC instead.
This Commission is tasked by the Identity Theft & Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 to accept and process complaints filed by identity theft victims, they are also responsible in directing your complaints to the appropriate industry including the major credit and police agencies. Take note of the FTC identity theft hotline 1-877-IDTHEFT (or 1-877-438-4338). You may also check out their website and complete the complaint form.
The Social Security Administration
The SSA does not usually provide assistance to identity theft victims, but they do have a system in place that can help you solve your dilemma. You can call them at their hotline 800-269-0271, although this is not an identity theft hotline, but you can contact SSA at that number or you can use their website to file a complaint.
When you are a prey of SSN theft you should change your number, should you come under the criteria of SSA’s victims of fraud, you should read more about this at their website. However in case you are given a fresh SSN as well as the theft is reported to the appropriate authorities, it's not necessarily a assurance that all your problemswill probably be solved, as it doesn't assure a brand new credit standing, credit records from your two SSNs can be combined by different Bureaus, plus if you are given a new start, having no record can also mean a difficult time trying to gain credit.
The Three Major Credit Bureaus
These three major credit bureaus Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, are responsible for your credit rating as such you can get periodic credit reports from them and in cases of identity theft you can call their identity theft hotlines.
Remember to report any inconsistencies or discrepancies in your credit records at once to the proper agencies, always prevent identity theft accessible to you. Reporting your concerns in the earliest possible time will help decrease the damage and help to make life more uncomplicated for you over time.
Tags: identity protection, identity theft hotline, prevent identity theft