A victim's guide to identity theft: the FTC offers these five tips to share with residents who may be victims of ID theft.Apartment managers know that credit is much more than a plastic card. It is a measure of a prospective resident's financial trustworthiness trustworthiness Ethics A principle in which a person both deserves the trust of others and does not violate that trust . It is easier to rent to someone with a good credit record than a bad one. Unfortunately, some people learn that they have big problems with their credit reports at the least opportune op·por·tune adj. 1. Suited or right for a particular purpose: an opportune place to make camp. 2. Occurring at a fitting or advantageous time: an opportune arrival. time: when they want to rent an apartment. However, some prospective renters' credit problems occur through no fault of their own--they are victims of identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC FTC See Federal Trade Commission (FTC). ), the nation's consumer protection agency, estimates that there may be as many as 10 million victims of identity theft each year. Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's personal information--such as his or her name and Social Security number or credit card number--to commit fraud. Identity thieves may use other people's information to open new credit card accounts in their names. Then, when the thief doesn't pay the bills, the delinquent delinquent 1) adj. not paid in full amount or on time. 2) n. short for an underage violator of the law as in juvenile delinquent. DELINQUENT, civil law. He who has been guilty of some crime, offence or failure of duty. account is reported on the other individual's credit report. Such inaccurate information could affect the innocent person's ability to rent an apartment. If a prospective resident, an employee or a friend has had personal information stolen or his or her identity has been misused mis·use n. Improper, unlawful, or incorrect use; misapplication. tr.v. mis·used, mis·us·ing, mis·us·es 1. To use incorrectly. 2. To mistreat or abuse. See Synonyms at abuse. Adj. , it is important to act quickly to minimize damage. To counter identity theft, take the following steps. 1 Place a fraud alert on credit reports. A fraud alert on a credit report tells creditors to follow certain procedures before they open any new accounts in a person's name or make changes to existing accounts. Each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies has a toll-free number to place an initial fraud alert. Only one call is necessary; the company called will notify the other two. An initial fraud alert is active for 90 days. To place an extended seven-year fraud alert, there are additional procedures to follow. Placing a fraud alert on a file entitles an individual to free copies of his or her credit reports. Review the credit reports carefully. Look for accounts that were not open and debts on accounts that are inexplicable in·ex·pli·ca·ble adj. Difficult or impossible to explain or account for. in·ex  pli·ca·bil . If there is fraudulent The description of a willful act commenced with the Specific Intent to deceive or cheat, in order to cause some financial detriment to another and to engender personal financial gain. or inaccurate information,
work with the consumer reporting companies to have the information
removed.
2 Close accounts. Close any accounts that have been tampered with or established fraudulently fraud·u·lent adj. 1. Engaging in fraud; deceitful. 2. Characterized by, constituting, or gained by fraud: fraudulent business practices. . Start by calling the security or fraud departments of each company with which an account was opened or changed without authorization. Follow up in writing and include copies of supporting documents. Use the ID Theft Affidavit affidavit Written statement made voluntarily, confirmed by the oath or affirmation of the party making it, and signed before an officer empowered to administer such oaths. , available at www.ftc.gov/idtheft, to support the written statement. Get written verification that the disputed account has been closed and the fraudulent debts have been discharged. 3 File a police report. File a report with law enforcement officials, such as state or local police. Filing a report will help you work with creditors who may request documentation that a crime has occurred. 4 Contact the FTC. Report the theft to the FTC. Victims' information helps law enforcement officials across the country with their investigations. 5 Keep records. Keep copies of everything, as well as a detailed record of conversations related to the theft. To Place a fraud Alert * Equifax: 800/52%6285 * Experian: 888/EXPERIAN (397-3742) * TransUnion: 800/680-7280 File a Complaint With the HC * File your complaint online at www. tic tic: see spasm. tic Sudden rapid, recurring muscle contraction—usually a blink, sniff, twitch, or shrug—always brief, irresistible, and localized. Frequency decreases from head to foot. . gov/idtheft * Call toll-free. 877/ID-THEFT (438-4338). or TTY (TeleTYpewriter) See teletypewriter and TDD/TTY. (hardware) tty - /tit'ee/ (ITS pronunciation, but some Unix people say it this way as well; this pronunciation is not considered to have sexual undertones), /T T Y/ 1. teletypewriter. 2. , 866/653-4261 * Write to Identity Theft Clearinghouse Federal Trade Commission 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington. DC 20580 ID Theft Resources For Residents * The FTC has more information on identity theft. including how to reduce the risk of becoming a victim, on its Web site al www.ftc.gov/idtheft. * The FTC also offers free publications on identity theft to order and share with residents, as well as an extensive library of credit-related materials. Most also are available in Spanish. To order free publications from file FTC. please visit www.ftc.gov/order. Nat Wood is Assistant Director, Division of Consumer and Business Education for the Federal Trade Commission. |
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