“I don’t remember opening that credit card account. And I certainly didn’t buy those items I’m being billed for.”

“I don’t remember opening that credit card account. And I certainly didn’t buy those items I’m being billed for.”

Maybe you never opened that account, but someone else did...someone who used your name and personal information to commit fraud. When an imposter co-opts your name, your Social Security number (SSN), your credit card number, or some other piece of your personal information for their use – in short, when someone appropriates your personal information without your knowledge – it’s a crime.

The biggest problem? You may not know your identity’s been stolen until you notice that something’s amiss: you may get bills for a credit card account you never opened; your credit report may include debts you never knew you had; a billing cycle may pass without your receiving a statement; or you may see charges on your bills that you didn’t sign for, didn’t authorize, and don’t know anything about.

Four Steps to Dealing with Identity Theft

If you’re a victim of identity theft, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, recommends that you take the following four steps as soon as possible, and keep records of your conversations and copies of all correspondence.

1 Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your reports.

Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name. Contact the toll-free fraud number of any of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies to place a fraud alert on your credit report. You need to contact only one of the three companies to place an alert. The company you call is required to contact the other two, which will then place an alert on their versions of your report.