Identity Theft Victim Checklist
This checklist can help identity theft victims clear up their records. It lists the actions most identity theft victims should take to limit the damage done by the thief. For more information, see the Web sites of the Federal Trade Commission at , the Identity Theft Resource Center at www.idtheftcenter.org, and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at www.privacyrights.org
Assistance In Reporting Or Responding To Id Theft
IdentityTheft.gov is the federal governments one-stop resource for identity theft victims. The site provides streamlined checklists and sample letters to guide you through the recovery process. Go to
If you create an account, the site will walk you through each recovery step, update your plan as needed, track your progress, and pre-fill forms and letters for you.
You may also simply browse the informational checklist of things to do if you are a victim or suspect you are a victim of identity theft.
S To Take If Youre A Victim Of Identity Theft
If you believe youre a victim of identity theft, follow these steps:
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Review Of The Report By The Prosecutor
The written report is sent to the prosecutor, who must then decide if more investigation is necessary or if enough evidence exists to authorize prosecution based on probable cause that a crime has occurred. The evidence must also support that the person cited in the report committed the crime.
The American Bar Association notes that this should not be confused with proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, which is a heavier burden to meet and is required for conviction at trial.
When You Report The Crime
The police must give you:
- a crime reference number
- contact details for the police officer dealing with your case
They must also:
- tell you clearly what will happen next
- tell you how often theyll give you an update on their investigation
- carry out a needs assessment to find out what support you should get
- ask a victim support organisation to contact you within 2 days
They must also ask if you want to write a statement about how the crime has affected you. This is called a victim personal statement. It can be used later when the court is deciding on a punishment.
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Damage/ Mischief To Property
Has someone damaged, defaced or vandalized public or private property? This may include:
- Breaking windows, mailboxes, throwing eggs, spray painting, writing or drawing on property.
- Accepted only if there are no known suspects.Please Note: If you were a victim of graffiti vandalism, paint vouchers and graffiti wipes are available for pick up at Police Headquarters.
How To Protect Your Identity
If you have been a victim of identity theft, you are probably anxious to protect your identity as much as you can going forward. There are several things you can do that will help you protect your reputation and your credit.
Ask your creditors about credit locks, fraud alerts, and security freezes on your accounts. Some even offer additional monitoring of your credit which may be worth having for a while. Our experts outline all this and more in our ID theft prevention guide.
Here are more steps you can take right now to help mitigate the damage from your information leak.
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Consider Id Theft Protection
It is a long process to recover from identity theft. However, once you know where to start and the steps you need to take, hopefully it feels a little less daunting. Most importantly, you dont want it to happen again. Consider an identity theft protection service to put measures in place that make it more difficult for thieves to access your information and misuse it.
What Happens After I File A Report Online
- Upon submitting your completed report online, you will see the words Your online police report has been submitted indicating your report is complete.
- You will receive an email with a temporary case number until police have reviewed the report. Check your junk email folder if you do not receive the email in your inbox.
- Once a police officer has approved the online report, you will be notified and provided a permanent case number.
- The accuracy of the information you provide in the report greatly assists Peel Regional Police Service in investigating your incident. Please ensure the report is as complete and concise as possible.
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Next Steps: How To Prevent Identity Theft
Its challenging to completely protect yourself against identity theft, but you can implement a couple of strategies. With people spending so much time online either working, on social media, or purchasing items, the internet has become an opportunistic place for scammers, so you must protect the information you store and share online.
There are lots of ways you can protect your identity online, one is to get ID theft protection plan like for example Lifelock which has great reviews from clients.
Monitor your accounts closely and stay alert for any unusual activity. When surfing the internet, use an encrypted internet connection and stay off public Wi-Fi. Use complex passwords, and dont use the same password for every account. You should also consider investing in high-quality antivirus software for your computer.
More Steps For Reporting Identity Theft
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Information Needed In Your Statement
When making a statement you should tell the police as much information about the offence as you can. This includes:
- descriptions or names of anyone involved or witnesses to the crime
- the registration number of any vehicles that were at the place when the crime happened, even if they were not involved the driver may have seen something
- descriptions, identifying marks or serial numbers of any stolen or damaged property
Make Sure Your Occurrence Can Be Reported Online
Use the information below to see if you can use this system. If your occurrence qualifies for online reporting, proceed to the next step. If your occurrence does not qualify for online reporting, it cannot be accepted by the officer managing online reporting. These occurrences require contact with a local OPP officer for investigation. Please call the OPP toll-free at 1-888-310-1122 to file a report. Links to external websites including those with video, digital images or documents that are not supported by this application cannot be managed through this online reporting service. Please include a narrative description of the occurrence if you will be filing an online report.
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Was Your Identity Stolen Remain Calm And Follow These Steps To File A Police Report
If your personal information has been compromised, you may need to file a police report for identity theft.
The sooner you report identity theft, the faster you can prevent further damage to your financial reputation.
However, victims of identity theft are often surprised to hear that filing a police report is only required in certain situations.
Filing an Identity Theft Report with the Federal Trade Commission should be your top priority.
In this guide, you’ll learn when you should file a police report if your identity was stolen.
Notify The Company Involved
Contact the business or lender with whom the fraudulent transaction took place. Close the account in question, whether its one youve had for a while or one that the thief opened in your name. Make sure creditors mark the account as closed upon your request a notation that your credit card was lost or stolen can have a negative effect on your credit report.
There may be more than one transaction involved, and you might encounter some resistance, especially from smaller businesses that dont fully understand your dilemma. Insist on receiving copies of all paperwork involved in the transactions anyway.
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Investigations Begin With A Verbal Or Written Complaint
Investigations typically begin with the filing of a verbal or written complaint when police arent called to the scene of an active crime, in which case an arrest might be made immediately and a complaint and investigation would follow. Cases that begin with a complaint are usually followed by sending officers to the crime scene, or to interview and take custody of the individual whos being charged.
Officers interview witnesses and gather physical evidence, if any, and summarize their efforts in their field notes. The accused should receive a copy of this report and has a right to ask for one if its not offered voluntarily.
When Should I Call Police Instead
- If you have a known suspect. If you know the name or address of the suspect, or if you know the license plate of the vehicle associated to the suspect, please contact Peel Regional Police at 905-453-3311
- If the value of theft, loss or property damage is more than $10,000.00
- If your vehicle has been stolen
- If the incident occurred outside of Brampton or Mississauga. Please contact the police service responsible for the area in which the incident occurred
- If someone broke into, or attempted to break into your home, garage or business
- If this is the theft or loss of a firearm
- If this is related to any form of personal violence, including domestic violence.
- If this is related to any kind of vandalism or graffiti that could be hate motivated
- If this is related to a traffic complaint that is in progress
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What Types Of Reports Can I File Online
- Damage/Mischief to Motor Vehicle under $10,000.00
- Damage/Mischief to Property under $10,000.00
- Lost Property under $10,000.00
- Theft of Property under $10,000.00
- Theft from Motor Vehicle under $10,000.00
- Supplemental Report
- Driving Complaints Road Watch:- Constant Neighborhood traffic related issues- School bus violations.
If Your Driver’s License Or Dmv
Immediately contact your local DMV office to report the theft. Ask them to put a fraud alert on your license. Then call the toll-free DMV Fraud Hotline at 1-866-658-5758. If the thief is using your license as ID, you may want to change your license number. Ask DMV for an appointment. Take a copy of the police report and copies of bills or other items supporting your claim of fraud. You will also need to prove your identity. Take current documents such as a passport, a certification of citizenship or naturalization, or a U.S. military photo ID. DMV will issue a new license or ID card number when you meet all the requirements.
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If Someone Uses Your Social Security Number To Claim Unemployment Benefits Or To Work
If you suspect that someone else has claimed unemployment benefits using your Social Security number, call the California Employment Development Departments toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-800-229-6297. For more information, see their Web site at www.edd.ca.gov. Search on the site for “fraud.” Sometimes, an identity thief will use someone elses Social Security number to be eligible to work. Its a good idea to check your Social Security earnings record to see if income earned by a thief is being posted to your account. You can get a copy of your earnings record by calling 1-800-772-1213. Or get a Request for Social Security Statement at www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-7004.html. If you believe a thief is using your Social Security number to work or claim Social Security benefits, call the Social Security Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271. Or report Social Security benefits fraud online at www.ssa.gov/oig/hotline/index.htm..
Identity Theft Is A Report
If you suspect that you may be a victim of identity theft, we strongly recommend that you file a police report as soon as possible because:
- A police report helps kickstart the investigation process and helps combat identity theft.
- It serves as initial proof of your innocence.
- It functions as documentation of the crime and provides evidence that you can use to dispute incorrect information in your credit report.
- A police report demonstrates to the creditor or debt collector that an identity thief was responsible for the debt, not you.
- The police report is necessary when youre completing your fraud affidavit.
These are all solid reasons to file a police report as soon as you discover unauthorized activity taking place in your name. There are also some other steps you should take after falling victim to fraud and any other kind of identity theft. If you even suspect foul play, dont hesitate to inform the police and other relevant agencies about it the quicker you take action, the more likely you are to achieve a satisfactory resolution.
While its important to acknowledge your own responsibility to take the right steps following identity theft, we say better safe than sorry. To that end, we urge you to take advantage of our legal protection packages for non-stop credit monitoring and steady protection against identity theft. Dont leave yourself vulnerable to identity thieves fight back.
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How To Create An Electronic Signature For The Identity Theft Police Report Example Form On Ios Devices
To sign a identity theft police report template right from your iPhone or iPad, just follow these brief guidelines:
After its signed its up to you on how to export your sample police report for identity theft: download it to your mobile device, upload it to the cloud or send it to another party via email. The signNow application is just as effective and powerful as the web solution is. Connect to a strong web connection and begin completing forms with a legally-binding eSignature within a couple of minutes.
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How To Report Id Theft To The Police
Alt-Text: An American business Express Card
If you decided to file a report for identity theft to the authorities, here are the steps that you should take:
First, go to the local police department and report the case. You will have to provide:
- Your government photo ID
- Proof of address like utility bills or mortgage statement
- A copy of the FTC identity theft report
- Proof that you are a victim or IRS report with the IRS notice
- Collection notice, and
Then, tell the police that someone has stolen your identity. Ask to attach the FTC report to the police statement. You will need both copies to present to the creditor.
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Report The Crime To The Police
Under California law, you can report identity theft to your local police department.1 Ask the police to issue a police report of identity theft. Give the police as much information on the theft as possible. One way to do this is to provide copies of your credit reports showing the items related to identity theft. Black out other items not related to identity theft. Give the police any new evidence you collect to add to your report. Be sure to get a copy of your police report. You will need to give copies to creditors and the credit bureaus. For more information, see Organizing Your Identity Theft Case” by the Identity Theft Resource Center, available at