This is what I said back in December 2000 when I discovered my credit card number being used without my permission.  This page is a guide of what to do when this happens.  I created this page because when I did a search of what to do, I only came up with pages on how to prevent it from happening.

Disclaimer:  This is in NO way the only way to do this or all of the things you should do when you discover your card number stolen. It is only a guide for this type of crime committed in the United States of America.  For crimes committed in other countries check with that country's national police system.
 

MSU ID Theft University-Business Partnership

FAQ

Last updated 12 March 2001.
 
 

1)  CALM DOWN.  That way you can start to plan what you need to do with a clear mind.  Keep in mind that there are people around you who are there to support you.  My parents, brother and friends were of great moral support during this time.

2)  Print-out your credit card statement of the affected accounts if you have on-line access upto the most recent charges, then call your credit card company to cancel the account or change the number. The reason I say this is because you will not be able access this account on-line after the account is changed because of the fraud.  (I found this out the hard way.)

Ask the credit card company to send you an affidavit form about the incident.  You may have to correct some information they have, especially if you made legitimate charges during the same period.

3)  File a police report.  File it with the area where you live if you suspect that the card number was stolen from your home trash.  If you think it was stolen on-line, file a report with the area where you have used your credit card on-line the most.  Some jurisdictions have set up units specifically trained to handle crimes like this.  (Figuring out where to report was particularly sticky for me because I live and work in East Lansing, Michigan, but I was in Hawai'i when I discovered the misuse of my number and an address on one of the purchases was in another county in Michigan.  I had to wait almost a week until I returned East Lansing to be able to file a report.)

Note:  If your credit card company does not hold you responsible for the charges, you are not longer the victim. See FAQ.  Still a crime has been committed and must be reported.

4)  If the theft is over $5,000, call the field office of the United States Secret Service responsible for your area to report the crime.  Unfortunately, if the amount charged is not over that amount, the USSS will not open a case because the cost of investigation and prosecution is too high.  However, they are not doing this because they want to, but because of limited resources.  (In my case they have been a very good source of information on what to do and how to go about it.  The agents I have talked to have been the most helpful and polite of any member of the US Federal Government I have dealt with.  Even if the USSS cannot open a case for you, they can send you various brochures which tell you how to protect yourself from this kind of crime as well as how to handle the fraud.)

5)  Call the three major credit bureaus to get a free copy of your credit report and to put a fraud alert on your files.  Make sure all information is current and report any thing you find out of order to the company.  Their phone numbers  and addresses are below. (See FAQ for explanation of fraud alert.)

Experian
1-800-311-4769
PO Box 9595
Allen TX 75013-9595

Equifax
1-800-997-2493
P.O. Box 105496
Atlanta, Georgia 30348-5496

Trans Union  LLC
1-800-888-4213
Consumer Disclosure Center
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022
 

6)  Get in touch with the creditors involved to let them know that you did not make the charges.  Even if you cannot get an agency to pursue the investigation of your stolen credit card number, you will have to protect yourself.  Chances are the credit card company will transfer the loss to the merchant.  The merchant may try to refute the charges or go after you themselves.

7)  File reports about your credit card being misused with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) [ID theft]. If your credit card was stolen or used on the internet also fill-out report forms with the internet fraud complaint center (IFCC)[FBI is a partner in this site], and cybersnitch.  These are clearing house sites for identity theft and other internet crimes.

If you think that there may be mail fraud and/or mail theft involved in your case, contact the US Postal Inspection Service.

8)  Save all receipts, e-mails, snail mails, and statements related to the credit card fraud as well as monitor your other credit card and bank accounts.  Again this is to protect yourself more than for investigation of the crime.  You may have to prove that you were not the one making the charges over and over again, especially as merchants try to get out of their losses.  Monitor your credit card and bank accounts to see if there is any activity you do not recognize.  (I am keeping a diary of what has been going on with my case and it has been very helpful.  I am also monitoring the accounts I can keep track of on-line every few days.)

9)  Educate yourself.  There are many on-line sites that are very helpful, especially those put out by the credit card companies and cybersnitch.  Plus there are numerous publications put out by the US government that are helpful.  They can be found at the library or ordered at http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/.  Unfortunately, you probably are not the only one out of your friends and family who has been through this, so ask around.  (I also lucked out in having a former elementary school classmate being a US Secret Service agent and had a lot of good advice from other Secret Service agents.)

10)  Prevent this from happening again.   The FTC has a concise list of things to do.

11)  Keep everything in perspective.  Do not let this take over your life and move on.  However, move with the caution you have learned from #10.

Please help Professor Collins with her study on ID theft.   Hopefully one of these days her research will curb this crime.  At the very least the results should make enforcement and victim care more efficient.

If you have more questions, look in the FAQ.  If your answer is not there, call your local police department and they will direct you to the agency who can best answer your questions.
 

Return to Gwynne's home page.