If you have become a victim of identity theft or fraud, act immediately to minimize the potential loss of your personal funds and confidential information. The following eight steps is a suggested course of action to resolve your identity theft situation that LifeStore Bank has put together for you.
1. Contact the fraud departments of the three major credit bureaus:
Equifax
To order your report, call 800-685-1111.
To report fraud, call 800-525-6285.
Hearing impaired call 1-800-255-0056 and ask the operator to call the Auto Disclosure Line at 1-800-685-1111 to request a copy of your report.
Experian
To order your report, call 888-397-3742.
To report fraud, call 888-397-3742.
TDD: 1-800-972-0322
Trans Union
To order your report, call 800-888-4213.
To report fraud, call 800-680-7289.
TDD: 1-877-553-7803
2. Contact Chex Systems, Inc to have a security alert placed on your account.
By Mail: Chex Systems, Inc., Attn: Consumer Relations, 7805 Hudson Road, Suite 100, Woodbury, MN 55125
By Phone: 800-428-9623
By Fax: 602-659-2197
3. Contact the major check verification companies:
Certegy: 800-770-3792
TeleCheck: 800-336-2425
DPPS/SCAN: 800-262-7771
4. Contact all financial institutuions where you have accounts that an identity thief has taken over or that were created in your name but without your knowledge.
5. Cancel those accounts, place stop-payment orders on any outstanding checks that may not have cleared, and change your Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card, account, and personal identification number.
6. File a police report and get a copy of the report to be used if need to show proof of the crime.
7. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to file a complaint.
FTC Identity Theft website
Call 877-438-4338
TDD at 202-326-2502
8. You may also want to contact the US Postal Inspection Service or the Social Security Administration at 800-629-0271.
It is important to document the day, time, and person that you spoke to at each of the above organizations along with pertinent details of the conversation. At your request, we have sample letters that you can use in contacting the three credit bureaus, companies, businesses, and/or financial institutions along with an affidavit from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). If you have any questions about this process, or if we can assist in any way, please let us know!