What to Do If Your Identity Has Been Stolen

Identity theft is a fast rising crime today. Your identity is said to be stolen when an unknown person makes use of your name and other personal information to make illicit financial gains. At times, your identity can also be used for commission of crimes or for other material benefits. The implication of identity theft can be serious. You may be liable for crimes that the thief has committed, or you could be billed for credit card purchases made by the thief.

A very important question in this scenario is that what should you do when you discover that your identity is stolen? Let us dig deeper into this matter.

Things to do in case of stolen identity:

As soon as you become a victim of an id theft crime, you should:

• Report to the proper authorities. You should try to trace which of your documents served as source for the personal information misused by the thief.
• You have to keep track of the circumstances that happen after your identity is stolen. You have to record all the activities with the authorities. This is important in the event that the thief is apprehended. The perpetrator can be made to pay for the credit card purchases.
• Report the identity theft to the credit bureau so that appropriate adjustments in the records can be made.
  Report the identity theft to your bank so that proper action on your account can be taken by authorities. This can also prevent you from issues with your other accounts.

If the identity is lost through an online transaction, you can log on to anti-theft programs that act for the resolution of the crime and restoration of your identity.

If the thief has committed a traffic violation using your name, then you will have to visit or call the motor vehicle department to ascertain the gravity of the situation and clear your name in such accidents.

At this point in time when id theft crime can be fast and easy to do, you have to make extra effort to protect your information. Do not fail to check the status of your credit report. Never leave your internet-based data unattended. If you have already become a victim of an id theft crime, then you can have the fraudster apprehended and punished to bring back your identity.