FROM:
HOLLEY CARNRIGHT
DATE:
MAY 15, 2019
RE:
PRESS RELEASE – IDENTITY THEFT
HELP! I’M A VICTIM OF
IDENTITY THEFT
Despite
your best efforts to protect yourself, you have become a victim of identity
theft. What do you do? The Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of
Consumer Affairs advises taking the following steps as soon as possible…
· RECORD KEEPING – Be sure to keep records of all correspondence
with the creditors and agencies you contact. Follow up all telephone calls with
a letter and keep a copy.
· CREDITORS – Notify all creditors and financial institutions, in writing
and by phone, that your name and accounts have been compromised.
· LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT – Immediately file a police or identity theft
report with your local police. Get a copy of the report. Credit card companies,
banks and credit reporting agencies may require you to show a police report to
support your claim that a crime was committed.
· FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT – Report the crime to the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) at www.identitytheft.gov.
· THE CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES – Contact the three national credit
reporting agencies by phone (Equifax 1-800-525-6285;
Experian 1-888-397-3742; Trans Union 1-800-680-7289) or online (www.equifax.com; www.experian.com; www.transunion.com).
· UTILITY COMPANIES – Ask utility companies to watch out for anyone
ordering services in your name.
· SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION – if you detect fraudulent use of your
social security number, report it to the Social Security Administration at
1-800-269-0271 (www.ssa.gov).
· FBI –
if the identity theft was internet-related, file an FBI Internet Crime
Complaint at www.ic3.gov.
Consumer
Affairs can be reached at 340-3260.
