Fraud is everywhere and you can be a victim just anytime. Since it can happen anytime and anywhere, fraud has become too common not to experience. With the emerging new features in technology, you can even be deceived in just one click.
What if your identity has been stolen? What else can be done? Well, when fraud caught you, it really caught you and there's no way you can undo what has already happened. However, there's something you can still do even if deception has already taken its toll on you.
Here are easy steps you can take to keep your cool after being deceived:
Report the crime right away
Stealing one's identity is a crime and should be reported immediately. If you have existing credit cards and bank accounts, call your companies and inform them of your incident report. Beyond The Transaction says reporting such incident to the companies you are affiliated with can help the investigators tract the identity of the person who stole yours.
Delete your personal information off online shops
View your transaction histories on a regular basis as per Newsroom Mastercard especially if you have done much of your purchases online. If you don't remove your personal information on websites, the identity thief can set up new accounts using your name without your knowledge. Check your Statement of Accounts if there are discrepancies and dispose the hard copies of your bank statements properly. It's much wiser to be proactive rather than reactive.
Report incident to the police
Since identity theft is no joke, make everything legal by filing a police report. Life Hacker suggests you contact a local law enforcer and ask his assistance in making the Identity Theft Report. Get your own copy of the police report and its reference number. Your Identity Theft Report can help you prove to agencies and companies you will be transacting in the future that somebody may have used your name already in opening accounts.
