identity+theft-recovery

== =Recovery= by Will Tian

If your identity has been stolen and all the other information on our site matches your situation, unfortunately, you have become one of the victims of identity theft.

If you are not sure whether your identity has been stolen or not, please read the following:


 * How can you find out if your identity was stolen?**

The best way to find out is to keep tracking your accounts and bank statements every month, and check your credit report on a regular basis. If you check your credit report regularly, you may be able to limit the damage caused by identity theft. Unfortunately, many consumers learn that their identity has been stolen after some damage has been done.
 * You may find out when bill collection agencies contact you for overdue debts you never incurred.
 * You may find out when you apply for a mortgage or car loan and learn that problems with your credit history are holding up the loan.
 * You may find out when you get something in the mail about an apartment you never rented, a house you never bought, or a job you never held.
 * 

What should you do if your identity is stolen?** Filing a police report, checking your credit reports, notifying creditors, and disputing any unauthorized transactions are some of the steps you must take immediately to restore your good name.

1. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your credit reports. 2. Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. 3. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. 4. File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place.

**What is a credit freeze?** Many states have laws that let consumers “freeze” their credit – in other words, letting a consumer restrict access to his or her credit report. If you place a credit freeze, potential creditors and other third parties will not be able to get access to your credit report unless you temporarily lift the freeze. This means that it’s unlikely that an identity thief would be able to open a new account in your name. Placing a credit freeze does not affect your credit score – nor does it keep you from getting your free annual credit report, or from buying your credit report or score.

If you want to apply for a loan or credit card, or otherwise need to give someone access to your credit report and that person is not covered by an exception to the credit freeze law, you would need to temporarily lift the credit freeze. You would do that by using a PIN that each credit reporting agency would send once you placed the credit freeze. In most states, you’d have to pay a fee to lift the credit freeze.
 * Can I temporarily lift my credit freeze if I need to let someone check my credit report?**

**How do I prove that I'm an identity theft victim?** Applications or other transaction records related to the theft of your identity may help you prove that you are a victim.

By Will Work cited: [|http://www.justice.gov] United States Department of Jusitce, n.d. Web. November 23, 2009 ttp://www.privacyrights.org/ Privacy Rights Clearinhouse, n.d. Web. November 23, 2009