Identity theft can strike YOU even if you've been very careful about keeping your personal information to yourself. If you think that your personal information has been hijacked, take immediate action. Contact the police and all others that need to be contacted. Keep a record of all conversations and correspondence. All cases and situations of identity theft are different; however, there are three basic actions that you can take in almost every case.

Step One:

Contact the fraud department of each of the three (3) major credit bureaus – Transunion, Experian, and Equifax.  Tell them what has happened and request that a "Fraud Alert" be placed in your file, as well as a victim (your) statement asking creditors to call you before opening any new accounts or changing any information to your existing accounts. At the same time, order a copy of your credit report. Check the section of your credit report that lists "inquiries." If there are any new inquiries you do not recognize, request that they be removed from your credit report. After a few months, order another copy of your credit report to verify your corrections/changes have been made and make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.

Step Two:

Contact any creditors about any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Your credit card companies, phone companies, utilities, banks and lenders should all be contacted. Notify these companies in writing and follow all consumer protection guidelines. Immediately close any accounts that have been tampered with and open new accounts with new personal identification numbers (PINs) and passwords. DO NOT use easily available information such as, your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your social security number, your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.

Step Three:

File a report with your local Police Department and obtain a copy of the report in case the bank, credit card company or others need proof of the crime.

Other helpful information:

Stolen Mail: If an identity thief has stolen your mail to get new credit cards, bank or credit card statements, prescreened credit offers or tax information, or if a thief has falsified change of address forms, that is a crime. Report it to the Police Department and contact your local Post Office and ask to speak to the Postal Inspector.

Change of address on credit card accounts: If someone has fraudulently changed the address on your credit card accounts, close the accounts immediately and ask them to contact you if there is any new activity or inquiries to your new account.

Bank Accounts: If you believe or fear that someone has tampered with your bank account, checking account, or ATM card, close those accounts immediately. If your checks have been stolen or misused, stop payment right away.

Contact the major check verification companies listed below to request that they notify retailers using their databases not to accept these checks.

The three major check verification companies are:

Telecheck:

1-800-710-9898

International Check Services:

1-800-631-9656

Equifax:

1-800-437-5120

ATM Card:  If your ATM card has been lost, stolen or otherwise compromised, CANCEL IT as soon as possible and get a new PIN number.

Investments:

If you believe someone has information about your investments, immediately report it to your broker or account manager.

Phone Services:

If someone has established a new phone service in your name or is making unauthorized calls that are billed to you, is using your cell phone number, or your calling card and PIN, contact your service providers immediately and cancel your accounts.

In order to remove fraudulent phone charges from your bill, contact your state Public Service Commission for in-state calls, and call the FCC (SPELL THIS OUT) for long distance and cell phone calls.

Employment:

If someone is using your social security number to apply for a job or to work, that is a crime. Report it to the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271.

To verify the accuracy of the earnings reported on your SSN, call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 and request a copy of your social security statement. Follow up all calls in writing.

If someone has used your SSN to obtain a driver’s license or non-drivers ID, contact the Department of Motor Vehicles.  https://www.flhsmv.gov/

Bankruptcy:

If someone has filed for bankruptcy using your information, write to the U.S. Trustee in the region where the bankruptcy was filed. Your letter should describe the situation in detail and provide proof of your identity. You may also want to file a complaint with the U.S. Attorney and/or the FBI in the city where the bankruptcy was filed.

Arrests/Records:

If someone using your identity is arrested and uses your name, you may need to hire an attorney to help you resolve the problem.

Should I apply for a new Social Security Number? Contact the Social Security Administration and they, in some cases, will assign you a new SSN.