Q: I received a bill of $ 400 in my name of a business, I've never done business with. I think I may have been a victim of identity theft. What should I do
A: Receiving the financial statements, invoices or other correspondence on your behalf from companies you do not recognize is a potential sign that you can -being suffered by an identity thief. Here are the steps we suggest you take to remedy the situation:
- Contact the company that sent you the bill. Although it could be a sign of identity theft, it can also be a simple error by the company. Also, contact the company alert to the fact that you are not responsible for the costs.
- Call your local police on their non-emergency number and make arrangements to file a police report. Provide a copy of the police report to the company that sent you the bill and the Federal Trade Commission (is below).
- file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. You can file a complaint using this online form.
- Contact all three credit bureaus and set up fraud alerts on your credit report. fraud alerts are a notation on your credit file that allow potential lenders know that you have been victim of identity theft. They can be an effective tool to help prevent criminals from using your personal information for financial accounts in your name. Technically, simply contact a credit bureau and ask them to put a fraud alert and they will coordinate with the other two offices on your behalf. We always suggest that you contact the three offices because it is relatively simple to do and ensures that there are no administrative issues that may delay or your fraud alerts to be fixed. Here is the contact information for the three major credit bureaus:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P. O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P. O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Division Victims, P. O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
fraud alerts expire every ninety days and does not automatically renew. You must reset the fraud alerts every ninety days by contacting each of the credit bureaus directly. Alternatively, identity theft protection services such as LifeLock and Trusted ID will set fraud alerts on your credit report on your behalf and ensure that they do not renewing them every ninety days .
Identity theft protection services like LifeLock and Trusted ID can also help you make sure you are not the victim of identity theft in the future. Many of them also offer services to consumers who have been victims of identity thieves. Learn more about child protection services against identity theft by visiting our guide to identity theft protection services.