What to Do If Your Identity Has Been Stolen

• Inform the police if you suspect any criminal activity could be involved, and be ready to provide them with whatever information they need.
  
  
• Advise any specific parties you believe may also be victims in the identity theft fraud, which may include your bank, your credit card companies, your credit or loan organizations, leasing organizations, companies you do business with, utilities, etc. Be specific about what your concerns may be, exactly what has happened or what you have noticed, and whatever detailed evidence you may have. Enlist their help. In most cases they will have much more experience than you in dealing identity theft, and will have procedures in place that they will ask you to follow.
  
  
• Cancel and have your credit and/or debit cards reissued if you suspect that their security has been breached.
  
  
• If you suspect unauthorized access to your bank account, place a stop order on it to prevent further transactions until a new account or new passwords are in place.
  
  
• If your check book has been stolen or gone missing, or there are missing checks in your book's sequence, you should place a stop on the unused checks.
  
  
• Change your passwords and PIN numbers for internet banking, debit cards, etc. if you believe they may have been compromised.
  
  
• If your computer could have been interfered with, you should ensure it is scanned and cleared of any spyware, and that any passwords that may have been compromised are changed.
  
  
• If your other identification has been stolen – passport, driver's licence, business identification, etc. - advise the issuers, and if necessary request replacements.
  
  
• Check your mail delivery arrangements are normal, with no unauthorized redirection orders.
  
  
• Open a file and keep detailed records of everything that you find and your correspondence. Request full details in writing from people approaching you about money owed.
  
  
• It is usually best to contest invoices for products or services you have not purchased, in spite of the threats you may receive for non-payment, and to open up communication channels with the businesses concerned about the fraud.