Little Red Riding Hood happily walked through the forest, fighting her fear of running into a wolf again. She was happy to take Grandma some treats and spend some time with her.
On the way to Grandma’s house, Red stopped off at the post office to pick up her mail. Red was surprised to find a credit card bill with a rather high balance. Since she didn’t even have a credit card, she was quite puzzled. A quick call to the credit card company and a conversation with a friendly customer service person helped Red to understand what happened. Grandma got some plastic using Red’s personal information.
Suddenly, Red didn’t feel like visiting Grandma today.
Sadly, this scenario is all too common – minus the red cape, of course. Somewhere between three and five out of every 10 cases of identity theft is committed by a family member who has access to personal information. And when it’s Grandma, the risk of prosecution is lower. Who wants to turn Granny in to the cops? But if you are a victim, you have to.
Before you turn in a family member for identity theft, you will need proof, since there’s more “cost” associated with this type of identity theft. Turning in a family member will damage relationships as well as your wallet.
You should file a police report citing identity theft. Evidence can be signatures not matching or charges made when you couldn’t have made them.
Notify your credit card issuer to close the account so that no more charges can be made. You’ll need to provide a signed affidavit and a copy of the police report to do so.
You will need to document the questionable purchases. By proving that you didn’t make the charges, you won’t be held accountable for them. If you are being hounded by a debt collector, you will need to send them an affidavit and copy of the police report also.
In addition, you’ll need to add a fraud alert to your credit report, and have the incorrect information – the charges and late or unpaid payments – purged from your file. Again, you will have to provide an affidavit and copy of the police report.
From this point forward, you should regularly review your credit report for any suspicious activity, as well as your credit card and bank statements.
Facing a wolf in the woods is tough – but dealing with identity theft on your own is tougher. Call LifeLock today.
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Tags: family member commits ID theft, Identity Theft, LifeLock promo code, Little Red Riding Hood
