If you've been the victim of identity theft, the first thing you should do is follow these steps.
Identity theft is a crime, and you can file a police report if you believe you have been victimized. Your creditors may request a copy of your police report if you contact them and tell them you are not responsible for any new accounts opened in your name, or charges made with your accounts without your permission.
Report Identity Theft. Report identity (ID) theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online at IdentityTheft.gov or by phone at 1-877-438-4338.
A conviction for an identity theft crime can result in time spent in jail or prison. In general, a conviction for a misdemeanor offense can lead to up to a year in jail, while felony sentences can result in several years or more in prison.
What To Do Right Away
As Attorney Hinz stated, you can't sue a person for identity theft. ... I recommend consulting with an attorney to help you file a police report placing a fraud alert on your credit file and closing tampered or fraudulent accounts.
Report the Crime to the Police
Under California law, you can report identity theft to your local police department. ... Give the police any new evidence you collect to add to your report. Be sure to get a copy of your police report. You will need to give copies to creditors and the credit bureaus.
Police departments can do very little to investigate and prosecute identity theft. ... You can use the Identity Theft Report to help get false information taken off your credit reports, stop a company from collecting debts and place an extended fraud alert on your credit reports.
Identity Theft By the Numbers
In 2019, 14.4 million consumers became victims of identity fraud — that's about 1 in 15 people. Overall, 33 percent of U.S. adults have experienced identity theft, which is more than twice the global average.
How To Know if Someone Stole Your Identity
You should file a report if you know the person who committed fraud, or if your identity was used in a police encounter like an arrest or traffic citation. Also, creditors, financial institutions, and debt collectors might require you to file a police report and/or Federal Trade Commission (FTC) identity theft report.
Identity thieves almost never get caught
In a study done in 2006, “only 1 in 700 identity theft suspects were arrested by federal authorities (0.14%).” ... It's safe to say that identity thieves are far more likely to get away with their crimes.
Federal identity theft charges usually carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, but ID theft cases often include additional charges that can add to prison time.
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