What to do if you're a victim of fraud
|
The Internet can be a great place to communicate with friends and family, play games, and shop. Unfortunately, all of those activities can leave you vulnerable to online fraud. You can do your best to prevent phishing attacks on your identity, avoid spyware and other unwanted software, ignore e-mail hoaxes promising easy money, and shop more safely online, but no method or system can guarantee total safety and security.
If you think you've been scammed, immediately follow these steps. The faster you contact the proper authorities, the more likely you are to minimize the damage a scammer can do to your identity, your credit, and your bank account.
File a report with your local police department.
Get a copy of the police report to notify your bank, credit card company, and other creditors that you are a victim of a crime, not a credit abuser. Depending on where you live, you may be required to file a report in the jurisdiction where the crime actually took place.
Place a fraud alert on your credit reports.
Ask that no new credit be granted without your approval. Review your reports carefully; look for things like inquiries you didn't initiate, accounts you didn't open, and unexplained debts. In Canada, you can contact these two credit bureaus:
Equifax Canada
Toll free: 1 800 465-7166
TransUnion Canada
Toll free: 1 877 525-3823
Outside the United States, contact your bank or financial institution and ask someone there to direct you to the relevant organization or agency.
Close any fraudulently accessed or opened accounts.
Speak with the security or fraud department of each bank or financial institution you deal with, including credit card companies, and follow up with a letter.
Contact the genuine company or organization if you believe you've given sensitive information to an unknown source that masqueraded as that real company or organization. This is known as a phishing attack. If you contact the real company immediately, they might be able to lessen the damage to you and others.
Change the passwords on all of your online accounts, and start with any that are related to financial institutions or information.
In Canada, file a complaint with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre. If you are a victim of any type of identity theft, you can report it by contacting Phone Busters:
Toll free: 1 888 495-8501
Toll free fax: 1 888 654-9426
Email: info@phonebusters.com
In the United States, report the fraud toFraud.org, the National Fraud Information Center. Use the online complaint form or call (800) 876-7060.
Record and save everything you do to clear up the theft, including copies of e-mail messages, written correspondence, and records of telephone calls.
|
