Posted on: Sunday, January 8, 2006
Know what to do in case of ID theft
By Greg Wiles
Advertiser Staff Writer
Identity theft may have struck one in every eight Hawai'i residents in the past five years, if national theft rates are applied to the Islands. There are no comprehensive figures for the state.
A 2003 Federal Trade Commission survey found 12.7 percent of the U.S. population had discovered they were ID theft victims in the past five years. That number, when applied to Hawai'i's population, indicates that about 161,950 Islanders dealt with some form of the theft.
What should you do if you've been victimized? It depends on the severity of the crime, but in general the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau recommend these steps:
Credit cards. Call issuers immediately and if necessary, close accounts. If you report the loss before the credit card is used, the issuer cannot hold you responsible for unauthorized use. If it is used before you report it missing the most you can be charged is $50.
ATM and debit cards. Notify your bank at once if they've been stolen or if you notice unauthorized transactions. Discuss changing passwords or closing accounts. Have them monitor for possible fraud.
If your information has been misused, or if your Social Security number has been stolen, contact the three major credit reporting agencies and ask them to watch your account for fraud. By filing this initial fraud alert you may stop someone from opening up new accounts in your name. The numbers are:
EQUIFAX: (800) 525-6285
EXPERIAN: (800) 397-3742
TRANSUNION: (800) 680-7289
At that time you'll get information about receiving a free copy of your credit report. The FTC suggests waiting about a month to order them because suspicious activity may not show up right away.
If your driver's license or other government identification is compromised, make sure to ask the appropriate government agency to flag your file for people trying to get an ID using your name.
Consider filing a police report. You may need one if an unauthorized bill is handed over to a collection agency that demands payment.
Watch for further activity by carefully checking bills and getting credit reports every few months. Free reports are available from www.annualcredit report.com.
Be sure to keep notes on each of the above contacts, documenting who you spoke to, their phone number, department, time and date of contact. You should consider sending a letter confirming the details of the conversation.
Each creditor may have a different process for dealing with the fraud. Make sure you understand what steps you must take to clear your name.
Reach Greg Wiles at gwiles@honoluluadvertiser.com.
