Identity theft happens when someone steals your personal information and uses it without your permission. It is a serious crime that can wreak havoc with your finances, credit history, and reputation – and it can take time, money, and patience to resolve. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, prepared this guide to help you repair the damage that identity theft can cause, and reduce the risk of identity theft happening to you.If you suspect that someone has stolen your identity, acting quickly is the best way to limit the damage. Setting things straight involves some work. This guide has tips, worksheets, blank forms, and sample letters to guide you through the recovery process. It covers:• what identity theft victims must do immediately• what problems may crop up• how you can reduce your risk of identity theft

So Someone Stole Your Identity, Now What? is an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide written by an identity theft victim who has gone on to help others clear fraudulent items from their credit files. This guide takes you through the process of clearing your credit file of identity theft and discrepancies, which will ultimately allow you to return your credit to its good standings. Organizing this information into book form has allowed the author to share valuable information with an unlimited number of consumers. Learn about the initial step of filing a police report, contacting the Federal Trade Commission, contacting the creditors/debt collectors, and contacting the credit bureaus. Get familiar with the process of reporting the fraud, fraud alerts and security freezes, locking and unlocking your credit file, removing items from your credit file, completing the identity theft report, and so on. And lastly, pore over the Helpful Tips section, that discusses the things to avoid, things to remember, and how to organize and eliminate creditor/debt collector harassment information, and child identity theft tips.

An overall plan on how to minimize readers risk of becoming a victim, this book was designed to help consumers and institutions ward off this ever-growing threat and to react quickly and effectively to recover from this type of crime. It is filled with checklists on who one should notify in case they become a victim and how to recover an identity.

A clear path out of the nightmare Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States and in many cases the victim has no knowledge of the theft until the situation is dire. Author Mari J. Frank, an attorney and advocate for victims of identity theft, takes the reader through every step necessary to reclaim their identity and wipe the records of theft off of all reports. • Covers every kind of fraud including bank, credit card, loans, insurance, medical, government, tax, professional license, business, employer, and online • A step–by–step process to reclaiming identity and wiping the records of theft off all reports

This book defines identity theft, studies how it is perpetrated, outlines what is being done to combat it, and recommends specific ways to address it in a global manner.

In this powerful and “engrossing” memoir, identity theft expert Axton Betz-Hamilton tells the shocking story of how her family was destroyed by the actions of an anonymous criminal (The New York Times). When Axton Betz-Hamilton was 11 years old, her parents both had their identities stolen. This was before the age of the Internet—authorities and banks were clueless and reluctant to help Axton's parents. Convinced that the thief had to be someone they knew, Axton and her parents completely cut off the outside world. As a result, Axton spent her formative years crippled by anxiety, quarantined behind the closed curtains in her childhood home. Years later, Axton discovered that she, too, had fallen prey to the identity thief. The Less People Know About Us is a cautionary tale, but not one without hope as Axton looks back on the dysfunctional childhood that led to her desire to help this from happening to others. AN EDGAR AWARDS 2020 WINNER AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

"Proactively organizes, simplifies, and demystifies the entire issue of identity theft and computer fraud into bite size chunks to make you, your family, employees and small business safe and secure. Learn the difference between scareware, ransomware and spyware. Understand what is a black hat, cracker, script-kiddie and hacktivist. Know how to protect your identity online and in the physical world." --Page [4] cover.