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Identity Theft
Baie-Comeau Identity theft occurs when somebody steals your name and other personal information, such as your Social Security or driver's license numbers, for fraudulent purposes.
The information can be used to obtain credit, merchandise, and services in the name of the victim, or to provide the thief with false credentials. If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report what happened. You can call the FTC's ID Theft Hotline at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338) or use their Online Complaint Assistant.
Next, contact the fraud departments of any one of the four consumer reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on your credit report. The fraud alert tells creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. You only need to contact one of the four companies to place an alert. The company you call is required to contact the other three to place alerts on their versions of your report. Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you are entitled to order free copies of your credit report, and, if you ask, only the last four digits of your Social Security number will appear on your credit report.
Some states allow individuals to place a security freeze on their consumer credit report. Without this information, a business will not issue new credit to a thief. When the consumer wants to get new credit, he or she uses a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to unlock access to the credit file. The cost of a security freeze varies from state to state, and is not available in every state. Please contact your state or territorial government for more information about your state security freeze laws.
The FTC's ID Theft Affidavit provides a model form that can be used to report information to many companies, simplifying the process of alerting companies that a fraudulent debt has occured in a victim's name. You may wish to download a copy of the ID Theft Affidavit (.PDF document). You may also call the FTC's ID Theft Hotline to obtain a copy.
Synthetic identity theft is a form of identity theft in which identity is fabricated rather than stolen. Whereas traditional identity thieves must assume the names of people whose Social Security numbers they have stolen, synthetic identity thieves create entirely fictional identities by combining existing Social Security numbers with fabricated information. The combination may not appear on your credit report, making the identity theft more difficult to detect.
Please visit the Social Security Administration (SSA) web page on information about identity theft and your Social Security number, including how to get a new one.
Please visit the FTC's web site for more information on how to deter, detect and defend against ID theft.
You may also view the Department of Justice (DOJ) web page on Identity Theft and Fraud.
The President's Task Force on Identity Theft was established by Executive Order 13402 on May 10, 2006. To learn more about what the government is doing to eliminate identity theft, please visit IDTheft.gov.
If you are a victim of identity theft and the U.S. Mail is involved, call your nearest Postal Inspection Service office and local police or report identity theft online. You may also wish to view additional information about identity theft from the U.S. Postal Service.
You may also wish to learn how to obtain a copy of your free credit report.
Information about identity theft and your tax records is also available.
Please note: To view and print .PDF documents, you must use the Adobe Reader software, which is available for download without charge.
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