Dealing with the fallout of identity theft is a daunting task for anyone.  But no job is simpler than the one you are prepared to do.  In the interest of educating and protecting the public in regards to their identity, the Federal Trade Commission (the governmental agency that is charged with this education and protection) has issued a simple, but thorough plan for anyone interested in protecting his or her identity.  The plan, known as “Deter. Detect. Defend.” is easy to follow and takes the victim step by step how to deal with that awful fallout.  The Federal Trade Commission makes it very clear how important it deems involvement of the local law enforcement.  Getting as many people involved in the search and for and punishment of the identity thieves is vital in stemming the flow of blood that an identity thief can cause.  However, because identity theft is still a relatively new and underground crime, people have reported to the FTC that were not allowed to file a police report with their local office.  So in the interest of the public, the Federal Trade Commission has included in its plan, what to do in the event that local police are not willing or able to file a report.  Persistence, as in any case, is always important.  Use the documentation you have already collected as well as any of the multiple documents the FTC provides (Law Enforcement Cover Letter or Remedying the Effects of Identity Theft) to stress the importance of the situation and how much having a police report adds to the fight.  Creditors often require such a police report in order to reach some kind of dispute resolution. Remind the police of how much additional help is available to you if you can furnish a police report. Credit reporting services, for example, can stop fraudulent activity immediately and without cost IF you provide them with a police report.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 14th, 2010 at 3:08 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.