Mesa Police
Home Police MenuWhat If I Become A Victim?
- Contact the three credit reporting agencies and have an advisory statement placed on your credit history advising that you are the victim of fraud and not to extend credit information to anyone with out contacting you directly, first.
- Request a copy of your credit report and check all credit inquiries or extensions of credit you did not initiate. Ensure no credit was extended.
- Contact any account holder unfamiliar to you, close the account, and make a report of identity theft in that jurisdiction if possible.
- Close out all affected accounts completely. Do not freeze a block of checks and continue to use your checking account. This simply facilitates further intrusion.
- Password protect new accounts against review or changes. Do not use your mother's maiden name, your zip code, the last four numbers of your Social Security Number or birthdates of family
members.
- Close out and open new credit card accounts after advising the issuer of fraudulent activity.
- Request affidavits of forgery and return them immediately.
- Do not enter into a civil agreement for repayment with an offending party known to you, unless you are willing to waive your right to prosecution, even if that party fails to honor the agreement.
- Keep a log of events, phone calls, letters, whom you spoke with and when, and what was said.
- Put together a form letter advising the merchant of the fraudulent activity on your account and your original case number. Forward this to any merchant requesting payment on a transaction you know to be fraudulent. Encourage that merchant to make a police report if he desires prosecution.
- Keep up your log and let it do the work for you.
- Call your local police department to file a report.