Identity Theft – More Resources
In cases of identity theft it is very important that you act quickly to report the crime and takes steps to protect your finances and good name in order to limit the damages and start the process of regaining control of your identity as soon as possible. You should have a checklist ready of all the steps you need to take to fight back against identity theft in case you do become a victim in the future, and here is a list of helpful resources that you can use to find out more about reporting and protecting against identity theft.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
The FTC is the government department that deals with all complaints about identity theft, and has a very useful website that provides lots of information on this issue from practical guides to help you protect your identity through to the latest consumer alerts and law enforcement updates.
The Department of Justice (DOJ)
http://usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud.idtheft.html
The DOJ processes cases against identity thieves and works closely with local law enforcement officers, the FBI and the Secret Service in order to bring about successful convictions, and also has a lots of information on the website on steps to take if you are a victim of this type of crime.
National Fraud Information Center
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing fraud crimes in the world and the National Fraud Information Center website provides lots of helpful advice about all types of fraudulent crimes, and you can contact a representative via email of using the toll free hotline on (800) 876-7060.
Identity Theft Protection Resource
Identity theft protection was setup to review the features of the most popular identity theft services currently offered on the Internet. The website provides lots of content about dealing with identity theft and how you can choose a good company to watch over you.
The Presidents Identity Theft Task Force
The President’s Identity Theft Task Force was set up on May 10, 2006, as a result of the growing threat of identity theft and was created in order to oversee the ‘awareness, prevention, detection and prosecution’ of these types of crimes. The website lists more information about what steps the government is taking against identity theft and also more advice on reporting these crimes.
Social Security Online
You can find out more guidance about reporting and protecting against Social Security Number identity fraud on the SSA’s website, and there is also plenty of general information on identity theft issues.