| 4. Law enforcement. Report the crime to your local police
or sheriff’s department.
You might also need to report it to police
departments where the crime occurred. Give them as much documented evidence
as possible.
Make sure the police report lists the fraud accounts. Get
a copy of the report. Keep the phone number of your investigator handy
and give it to creditors and others who require verification of your
case.
Credit card companies and banks may require you to show the report
in order to verify the crime.
It is a violation of federal law (18
USC 1028) and the laws of many states (such as
Calif. Penal Code 530.5) to assume someone’s identity for fraudulent
purposes (Web site for state and federal laws:
www.consumer.gov/idtheft/federallaws.html).
Some police departments don’t write reports on such crimes, so be persistent!
Also report the crime to the Federal Trade Commission (see
Additional Resources).
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