How To Report Identity Theft

The first sign of identity theft could be a change in your billing cycle and act as a red flag to tell you it's time to report identity theft. When your bills stop arriving on schedule, you need to find out why. Contrary to popular belief, not all the criminals working to steal your name and money use online identity theft. You need to be concerned when there's a change in your billing cycle.

Companies want their money, and any creditor that you owe money to won't make you wait for your bill. Credit card companies send out bills on schedule each month, and the bill delivery is predictable. If you haven't received a bill, don't thank anyone for saving you from a monthly payment. Your mail could have been intercepted from identity theft, or your billing date may have changed. Because of identity theft, your bill may have been rerouted to a new address. Report identity theft to the companies right away if you haven't received your monthly statement or bill.

Contact the post office. You should let them know you feel you might have been the victim of identity theft through stolen mail. Offer a list of missing bills and let them know when the bill should have arrived at the post office.

In today's society, it pays to monitor your bills and statements. Now that consumers have the option of banking online, it becomes easy to keep an eye on anything irregular to see the immediate effects of online identity theft.

A more serious sign of identity theft could involve having your credit denied for a large purchase. The best way to minimize fallout from identity theft is to review your credit card and bank statements monthly and to check your credit report at least annually. The sooner you report identity theft, the better.

Report identity theft if you begin to receive credit card statements in your name that you don't recognize, or if you notice any unauthorized changes to your account, contact your credit card company and the credit bureau immediately to begin an investigation. Taking fast action is necessary to making sure you aren't financially ruined by fraud. Just because you've become a victim of identity theft doesn't mean you have to remain a victim.

When Frank Abagnale trains law enforcement officers for the FBI's National Academy about identity theft, he asks agents for their addresses and nothing more. The next day, he returns with everything he would need to steal their lives: Social Security numbers, dates of birth, current salary, checking account numbers, the names of everyone in their family, and more. This illustrates how easy it is for anyone from anywhere in the world to assume our identity and, in a matter of hours, devastate our lives in ways that can take years to recover from. Considering the fact that a fresh victim is hit in the U.S. every four seconds, Stealing Your Life is the reference everyone needs, by an unsurpassed authority on the latest identity-theft schemes.

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