Why should you file a police report after identity theft?

With almost 1.4 million reported cases of identity theft in 2020, this particular menace doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. Identity theft typically involves a thief using your personal information to obtain certain benefits.

There are different types of identity theft, so there are different kinds of benefits such thieves could enjoy, whether it’s medical benefits, government benefits, or even personal gain through credit card fraud, allowing the thief to take money directly from the victim’s financial accounts. Worse still, the thief could open additional unauthorized lines of credit in the victim’s name.

If you think you’ve fallen victim to identity theft, there are a number of steps you should take, and filing a police report is one of them. This might seem extreme, but it isn’t. Here’s why.

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Identity theft is a report-worthy offense

If you suspect that you may be a victim of identity theft, we strongly recommend that you file a police report as soon as possible because:

• A police report helps kickstart the investigation process and helps combat identity theft.
• It serves as initial proof of your innocence.
• It functions as documentation of the crime and provides evidence that you can use to dispute incorrect information in your credit report.
• A police report demonstrates to the creditor or debt collector that an identity thief was responsible for the debt, not you.
• The police report is necessary when you’re completing your fraud affidavit.

These are all solid reasons to file a police report as soon as you discover unauthorized activity taking place in your name. There are also some other steps you should take after falling victim to fraud and any other kind of identity theft. If you even suspect foul play, don’t hesitate to inform the police and other relevant agencies about it — the quicker you take action, the more likely you are to achieve a satisfactory resolution.

While it’s important to acknowledge your own responsibility to take the right steps following identity theft, we say better safe than sorry. To that end, we urge you to take advantage of our legal protection packages for non-stop credit monitoring and steady protection against identity theft. Don’t leave yourself vulnerable to identity thieves; fight back.