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Special Circumstances

We’ve provided the essential recovery steps that every ID Theft victim should follow, but each case of ID Theft is unique, and many victims may need to contact different agencies or take additional steps to fully recover.

There are too many different possible situations to cover here, but we provide a comprehensive checklist in our free .pdf booklet, “ID Theft: Protecting and Restoring Your Good Name.”
Some of the information you may need:

• If your checks are compromised, you may want to contact the check verification companies like TeleCheck, Certegy, or SCAN.

• If your driver’s license is stolen, you should call the DMV Fraud Hotline.

• If your mail has been stolen or redirected through a false Change of Address form, you should contact the nearest Postal Inspector’s office.

• If a thief uses your Social Security Number fraudulently, there is a Social Security Fraud Hotline you should call.

• The SEC has a complaint center for victims of investment fraud. If someone has compromised your investment or brokerage accounts, you can file a complaint with them after reporting the crime to your broker.

• If someone steals your passport or uses it fraudulently, you can contact the US Department of State to report the crime.

• If fraudulent local phone service is established in your name, you should contact your local Public Utility Commission.

• If cellular or long distance phone service is established fraudulently in your name, report the crime to the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC is also the place to go to report fraudulent cable, satellite or internet service.

• Contact the US Department of Education to report fraudulent student loans.

• For ID theft issues related to your taxes or tax return, the IRS has a Criminal Investigation department you can call.

• In the event of a fraudulent bankruptcy filing, you can contact the US Trustee in your region.

This is just an overview of some of the many areas where ID theft can affect you. Fortunately, there are many agencies at the ready to help you report the crime and take steps to clear your name, no matter what kind of ID theft you have suffered from.

For contact info and helpful information about these various agencies, be sure to download our .pdf booklet, “ID Theft: Protecting and Restoring Your Good Name,” which is available as a free download from our FIT Academy.

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This post is part of the Identity Theft Recovery, a series of articles and resources designed to help people recover their lives after falling victims to identity theft. View the rest of the articles here.
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For more information, check out our online course on Identity Theft Prevention, available here in our FIT Academy. For more information about National Protect Your Identity Week (NPYIW) or to find a local PYIW event near you, visit ProtectYourIDNow.org.