ID Theft

Identity Fraud?

My identity (i.e name, address, date of birth) has been recently used to register a car in and also been used to apply for insurance. What steps do i need to take in the long term to get this sorted. I'm extremly worried about someone opening a bank account in my name if they posses all these details!

Public Comments

1. File a police report. Get in touch with the credit bureaus. Some credit card companies have services that assist in such circumstances.
2. As far as in the long term, be extremely peticular about to whom you give out your SSN! That means donot put it on your checks, don't use it for your drivers liscense number, and don't put it on job applications!
3. Shred all your personal details on letters, bank statements, everything with your name and address on it before you bin them. Even envelopes with your details on. I just tear the name and address off everything, rip it up, then put the rest of the paperwork in the recycling bin.
4. I have been there, someone used my check card to purchase $1500 worth of stuff. The card number was taken from a store I used it at. First, call the police. They will come to your house and file a report. Next, you need to put an alert on your credit report. That way if anyone tries to use your credit you will be informed. You should be able to get this info from the police or do a search online. Lastly, buy a shredder and use it for everything. Good luck!!
5. It sounds like someone who knows you rather than a master criminal at work otherwise they'd have bought the car in your name.
6. This happened to me and not to worry you further but it was a total nightmare. A lot has changed since then so it may not be too bad for you. First contact all three major credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian) to place a fraud alert. Do this IMMEDIATELY. They will help you monitor any activity made fraudulently in your name. Contact all of your accounts: checking, savings, etc. with your bank, any and all credit cards, and accounts you have anywhere. You want to be sure there are no transactions now or in the future made by someone else. Unfortunately the nightmare aspect is that you have to do all of the legwork. You yourself have to prove that anything this person did in your name is in fact fraudulent. Hopefully you've caught it early enough so that won't be necessary. It would not hurt to contact the police for information on how to handle this either. I am a bit scarred myself because they were not much help to me. To be fair, their hands were tied as the person who did this was actually in jail for a different offense at the time. Anyway start now so it doesn't snowball. Sending positive thoughts your way...this can be really tough. Make sure you do everything you can to stop this person. It is a FEDERAL offense. I'd love to have just five minutes alone with the piece of garbage that did it to me.
7. You will probably need some company to do identity theft restoration for you. If you do it yourself, on average it takes 600 hours, and costs about $1200. I have a better solution. Visit my website here: http://www.officialidguard.com/ and click Identity Shield. This company will do all the work for you, and the coverage only costs $12.95 per month.
8. All banks require atleast 2 forms of id to verify identity even for a basic no-credit bank account so the likely hood of someone being able to obtain credit in your name is minimal i would say. All i would do is contact one of the credit agencies (can't remember if it is Equifax or Experian) offer the service of getting regular credit reports or contact when credit is opened/applied for in your name. You can do this on the web. In future be careful about disposing of personal information, invest in a shredder and shred everything showing your name and address on.