id theft

There are a number of things the TCU Police Department recommends you do to protect yourself if you feel someone may have stolen you identity.

• Place a fraud alert on your credit reports and review your credit reports.

Call the toll-free fraud number of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit report. As soon as the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will automatically be notified to place fraud alerts on your credit report, and three reports will be sent to you free of charge.

• Close any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.

• Credit Accounts include all accounts with banks, credit card companies and other lenders, and phone companies, utilities, ISPs, and other service providers.

• If you’re closing existing accounts and opening new ones, use new Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and passwords.

• If there are fraudulent charges or debits, ask the company about the following forms for disputing those transactions:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf

• If your checks have been stolen or misused, close the account and ask your bank to notify the appropriate check verification service. While no federal law limits your losses if someone steals your checks and forges your signature, state laws may protect you. Most states hold the bank responsible for losses from a forged check, but they also require you to take reasonable care of your account. You also should contact these major check verification companies. Ask that retailers who use their databases not accept your checks.
  
  

  Telcheck	1.800.710.9898 or 1.800.927.0188
  Certegy, Inc.	1.800.437.5120
  International Check Services	1.800.631.9656
  Call SCAN*	1.800.262.7771

  (* to find out if the identity thief has been passing bad checks in your name)

You may also want to contact the Social Security Office if you feel your social security number has been compromised. Fort Worth office (1.800.772.1213).

If you have further questions regarding this subject, please contact the TCUPD Detective division at 817.257.6637 or click on the email icon below.

Also, click the icon to check out the Department of Education's ID Theft pages

copyright ©tcupd 2004. all rights reserved

revised: 10/14/04