Your FICO score is one of the most important numbers that you must safeguard. Imagine having someone steal your identity. If not caught early, identity theft can lead to serious problems with your credit score. A year ago, I became a victim of identity theft. It happened so quickly that I did not have time to react. But luckily for me, I caught it early. If you happen to become a victim, there are a few steps that you should follow:
- Call the bank or credit card Company to notify them.
- Call the police. The police will file a report. The bank or credit card company will need the report to file with their records. They will also need this to start their investigation.
- File a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC has a form to complete for identity theft victims. The form will be used for identifying you as a victim of identity theft. The FTC will also use the form to complete an investigation. The form can be found at:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/
- Call the three major credit bureaus and have a fraud alert added to your credit report. This will allow creditors to know that you’ve been a victim. They will have to take added steps to approve someone who tries to use your credit.
I followed all of these steps after I became a victim. Other precautions that I took included freezing my credit. I also purchased a shredder and I shred all personal documents. I hope that you will never have to go through this. But if you do, now you’ll know have a better idea of steps to take.