Introduction
This guide is posted to help you through the process of resolving your identity theft case and clearing your name. While there are many general identity theft resource guides available, this guide was specifically developed to provide assistance to Floridians who are identity theft victims, as well as individuals in other states who had their personal information fraudulently used in the state of Florida.
Navigating through the system as an identity theft victim can be a lengthy and confusing process. As you contact law enforcement, creditors, and financial institutions, it is important that you keep track of the actions you take.
When your identity is stolen your personal identifiers can be misused in a variety of different ways. As soon as you become aware that your information has been misused, there are several basic steps you should take that apply to nearly all kinds of identity theft cases:
Step 1
Report the incident to the fraud department of the three major credit bureaus.
1. Ask the credit bureaus to place a "fraud alert" on your credit report.
2. Order copies of your credit reports so you can review them to see if any additional fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name or if any unauthorized charges have been made to other accounts.
3. Request a victim's statement that asks creditors to contact you prior to opening new accounts or making changes to any existing accounts.
Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
To order your report:
1-800-685-1111
To report fraud:
1-800-525-6285
TDD: 800-255-0056
TransUnion
Fraud Victim Assistance
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
Email: fvad@transunion.com
To order your report:
1-800-888-4213
To report fraud:
1-800-680-7289
TDD: 877-553-7803
Experian
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
To order your report:
1-888-EXPERIAN
(397-3742)
To report fraud:
1-888-EXPERIAN
(397-3742)
TDD: 800-972-0322
Step 2
Contact the fraud department of each of your creditors.
Gather the contact information for each of your credit accounts (credit cards, utilities, cable bills, etc.) and call the fraud department for each creditor.
Report the incident to each creditor, even if your account at that institution has not been tampered with. Close the accounts that you believe have been compromised. Ask the credit bureaus to place an "alert" on any accounts that remain open.
Follow-up in writing
immediately. The Federal
Trade Commission
provides an
Confirm all conversations in writing. Follow behind your phone call with a letter and any necessary documentation to support your claim.
Step 3
Contact your bank or financial institution.
If your checks have been stolen, or if you believe they have been used, contact your bank or credit union and stop payment right away.
Put stop payments on any outstanding checks that you are unsure about.
Contact the major
check verification
companies and request
they notify retailers
who use their databases
not to accept your
checks:
TeleCheck
1-800-710-9898 or
927-0188
Cetergy, Inc
1-800-437-5120
International
Check Services
1-800-631-9656
Call SCAN at 1-800-262-7771 to learn if bad checks have been passed in your name
If you suspect your accounts have been compromised, cancel your checking and savings accounts and obtain new account numbers.
Step 4
Report the incident to law enforcement.
Contact your local police department or sheriffs office to file a report. Under Florida law, the report may be filed in the location in which the offense occurred, or, the city or county in which you reside.
When you file the report, provide as much documentation as possible, including copies of debt collection letters, credit reports, and your notarized ID Theft Affidavit.
Request a copy of the police report. Some creditors will request to see the report to remove the debts created by the identity thief.
What else can I do?
File a
complaint with the
FTC's Identity
Theft Clearinghouse
The Clearinghouse is the
federal government's
repository for ID theft
complaints. Complaint
information is entered
into a central database,
the Consumer Sentinel,
which is accessed by
many local and state law
enforcement agencies in
Florida, as well as
Florida's Attorney
General, for identity
theft investigations.
Call the toll-free
hotline at
1-877-IDTHEFT
or complete an
online complaint form
Flag your
Florida Driver's
License.
At your request, the
Fraud Section of the
Department of Highway
Safety and Motor
Vehicles will place a
flag on your driver's
license if you are a
victim of identity theft
(regardless of whether
your Florida Driver's
License has been
compromised). To reach
the Fraud Section, call
850-617-2405. You will
be asked to submit your
request in writing to:
Department of Highway
Safety and Motor
Vehicles
DDL/BDI - Fraud Section,
Room A327
Neil Kirkman Building
Tallahassee, FL
32399-0570
If you believe that the identity thief has actually used your personal information to secure a Florida Driver's License or Identification Card, DHSMV will conduct a fraud investigation. To initiate this investigation, complete the DHSMV Identity Theft Report Form and mail it to the address above.
Get
assistance through
Florida's Fraud Hotline.
Florida's Attorney
General provides a
toll-free fraud hotline
for Floridians who are
the victims of Fraud.
Contact the hotline at
1-866-9-NO-SCAM
(1-866-966-7226).
Trained advocates can
help provide additional
resource information in
your area.
Check your
Florida criminal history
information.
In some instances of
identity theft, a victim
may be faced with a
criminal record for a
crime he or she did not
commit. The Florida
Department of Law
Enforcement (FDLE) can
provide a Compromised
Identity Review (based
on a fingerprint
comparison of state
criminal history files)
to determine what, if
any, criminal history
belongs to you, and if
any arrest records have
been falsely associated
with you as a result of
someone using your
identity. If a
fingerprint check
determines you are an
identity theft victim,
FDLE will work with
local law enforcement
agencies to attempt to
clear fraudulent data
from the criminal
history files and
provide you with a
Compromised Identity
Certificate.
Click here for more information.
Contact the
Florida Department of
Law Enforcement.
After you have filed a
report with local law
enforcement and with the
FTC's Identity Theft
Clearinghouse, you may
contact FDLE. FDLE
Special Agents who work
identity theft cases may
be able to provide
additional guidance and
assistance.
Click here to find
your nearest FDLE
Regional Operations
Center.
Remove your
personal identifiers
from Florida court
records.
Any person has the right
to request the Clerk or
County Recorder to
redact/remove his or her
Social Security number,
bank account number,
credit, debit or charge
card number from an
image or copy of an
Official Record that has
been placed on such
Clerk's/County
Recorder's publicly
available Internet
website, or in a court
file.
If you believe your
personal information
appears in a publicly
available record,
contact your
County Clerk's Office
to initiate a request.
Report Mail
Theft to the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service.
The U.S. Postal
Inspection Service will
investigate if your mail
has been stolen by an
identity thief and used
to obtain new credit or
commit fraud. Incidents
should be reported to
your nearest
U.S. Postal Inspection
Service district office.
Report
Passport Fraud to the
U.S. Department of
State.
If your passport is lost
or stolen or you believe
it is being used
fraudulently, contact
your local
Department of State
field office.
Protect your
Social Security number.
The Social Security
Administration can
verify the accuracy of
the earnings reported on
your social security
number. To check for
inaccuracies or fraud,
order a copy of your
Personal Earnings and
Benefit Estimate
Statement (PEBES) from
the Social Security
Administration. Call
1-800-772-1213 or visit
www.ssa.gov.
Minimize your risk
Learn more about what you can do to protect the privacy of your personal information by reading our prevention tips, and visiting the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Website.
Forms
-
Identity Theft Affidavit
A standardized report form to provide to companies in which a new account was fraudulently opened in your name. -
FTC Complaint Form
This online form transmits your complaint to the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Clearinghouse.

