What can you do about identity theft?

When an identity thief gets his (or her) hands on your personal information, they gain the power to wreak havoc on your finances, credit and reputation. Minimize the chance that you will fall victim to an identity thief, and find out what to do if you suspect your identity has been compromised. read more

Report Identity Theft. Report identity (ID) theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) online at IdentityTheft.gov or by phone at 1-877-438-4338. If you report identity theft online, you will receive an identity theft report and a recovery plan. read more

Schemes to commit identity theft or fraud may also involve violations of other statutes such as identification fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1028), credit card fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1029), computer fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1030), mail fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1341), wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343), or financial institution fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1344). read more

If you can provide proof to the credit bureaus that you are a victim of identity theft, the fraud alert can be extended up to seven years (although you can remove it at any time by sending a written request). read more