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Q.What should I do if the local police won't take an identity theft report?
A.This is a well known, yet under reported problem. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends you take the following steps:
- Gather as much evidence of the fraudulent activity as you can, including your credit report, debt collection letters, bank statements, etc.
- Complete and sign the FTC's ID Theft Affidavit (.pdf)
- Present all of your information to the police department. Be persistent. Stress the importance of a police report. Many creditors require a police report to resolve a dispute. Additionally, the consumer reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) will only automatically block the fraudulent accounts and bad debts from appearing on your credit report, if you can give them a copy of the police report.
- If your local police department insists that identity theft is not a crime within their jurisdiction, or under your state law, ask to file a Miscellaneous Incident Report instead.
- If you still can't get your local police to take a report, try the county police and if that doesn't work, try the state police.
If you just can’t get anyone to assist, try contacting your State Attorney General’s office or your congressman.
Portions of this answer were taken from a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) publication.
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