As Debt Collection Attorneys in Florida, we frequently hear from those that we work with, debtors, that the debt isn’t there’s and that they were victims of Identity Theft.
Identity Theft in Florida is a massive and growing problem. Certainly there are a few that are simply trying to dodge the debt collector, but most are the legitimate victims of an Identity Thief.
There’s an excellent article on what to do to protect yourself in the event of identity theft.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2472998,00.asp
In a nutshell your first 3 steps are
1: Contact all of your credit card providers and issue a Fraud Alert.
This is easy to do, they all know exactly how to handle it. A quick phone call to your credit card providers, and they will walk you through the process./’
2. Order your Credit Report.
It is imperative to see how much damage has been done, or if you have been signed up for debts other than the credit cards you just added an alert to.
In an earlier post we talked about CreditKarma.com. Everyone is entitled to one free credit report a year. If you are the victim of Identity theft, 1 will not be enough. CreditKarma.com will give you unlimited access to your credit report for free (at least at this time).
3. File an Identity Theft Report.
Identity theft is no small matter, it is a Federal Crime. The FTC has very clear instructions for you on Filing an Identity Theft Report.
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0277-create-identity-theft-report
How to Create an Identity Theft Report
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Submit a report about the theft to the FTC. When you finish writing all the details, print a copy of the report. It will be called an Identity Theft Affidavit.
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Bring your FTC Identity Theft Affidavit when you file a police report.
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File a police report about the identity theft, and get a copy of the police report or the report number. Your FTC Identity Theft Affidavit and your police report make an Identity Theft Report.
If you have been contacted about debts that aren’t yours, there is a very good chance that you have been a victim of Identity Theft. Follow the above steps to protect yourself, and your financial security.
If you have been the victim of identity theft, and are contacted by one of our Florida Debt Collection Attorneys, understand we are doing our jobs. Give us your Identity Theft Report, so that we can respond appropriately, and give you the room to take care of yourself. Debt Collectors in this case might be your first indicators that you have been the victim of identity theft.
We wish you the best of luck dealing with your identity theft issues.