If You're a Victim Reclaiming your Personal Identity

While there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of identity theft, the fact remains that anyone can become a victim. If this should happen to you, our valued customer, the Identity Theft Resolution Center will give you the help you need to put this problem behind you. A personal advocate will work with you one-on-one, start to finish, to help you restore your credit and regain control of your identity.

Your advocate. If you become a victim, you will be put in touch with the Identity Theft Resolution Center, where you will be assigned a personal advocate. Your advocate will work with you one-on-one throughout the identity theft resolution process. Your advocate is a source of information, guidance, and comfort, whose goal is to resolve your situation as quickly and completely as possible, with minimal stress and strain on you.

Your advocate will assist you with the paperwork, telephone calls, and other tasks required to resolve your situation. Some tasks will be undertaken by your advocate on your behalf, or carried out jointly by the two of you. Others, such as filing a police report, must be performed by you personally. Your advocate will let you know which tasks are to be completed by whom.

First steps. You and your advocate will begin by contacting key parties immediately to minimize the damage to your finances and your good name, beginning with the three national credit bureaus and your own financial institutions and credit card issuers. Your advocate will prepare notification materials and coordinate communications with creditors, debt collectors, law enforcement, government agencies, and other parties relevant to your specific situation.

Filing a police report. This is a critical step in resolving your identity theft. If necessary, your advocate can help you arrange an appointment with the appropriate law enforcement agency, as well as organizing your information prior to your appointment.

Gathering key documents. Another essential step is gathering the key documents and data related to your identity and accounts. You will send copies of these documents to your advocate, keeping the original documents and related information in a safe place where you can refer to it easily. You will also receive a copy of your Identity Theft Affidavit, which will already have been completed by your advocate, based on your initial conversation.

Monitoring services. Later in the resolution process, you will be enrolled in monitoring services that will help you track changes to your identity, credit, and account information.

Other issues to consider. Other steps that you and your advocate take will depend on your situation. For example, here are a few of the questions that you and your advocate will consider:

• · Were checks stolen or fraudulent bank accounts set up?
• · Was your ATM or debit card stolen or compromised?
• · Has a thief taken over your mailing address?
• · Was your Social Security number misused?
• · Was your driver's license stolen?

Building a case against identity thieves. The information that you and your advocate gather to restore your identity may also be important in other ways. Keeping records current, organized, and secure may make a critical difference in successfully investigating and prosecuting the criminals — as well as winning any civil lawsuit you might file if the perpetrators are identified.

Following up. While the task ahead may be complex, your advocate will give you the practical assistance you need every step of the way — working with you one-on-one, from beginning to end, to resolve your situation. As your life and your finances return to normal, your advocate will continue monitoring your situation to detect any sign of recurrent fraud. In the end, you'll discover that you can deal with a serious challenge and emerge victorious — with your good name intact.