Fraud Resolution Hub
Realizing that you’re a victim of identity theft is stressful and confusing, and trying to resolve the problem on your own can feel overwhelming. Pango’s team of Fraud Resolution Experts has helped millions of customers navigate the cybertheft recovery process and reclaim their identities.
Point Wild’s Fraud Resolution Experts can help reduce the anxiety of cyber theft by handling the resolution process for you. Our Limited Power of Attorney program enables one of our customer service professionals to contact creditors and agencies on your behalf, saving you the time and headaches involved in the identity recovery process.
To get started, please fill out our Limited Power of Attorney form and send to customercare@identitydefense.com.
Fraud First Aid Kit
Identity theft resolution is complex and time-consuming. Our Fraud First Aid Kit can help customers who’d prefer to navigate the process on their own.
- Unemployment Fraud
- Limited Power of Attorney
- Credit Reporting Agencies
- Federal Agencies
- Sample Letter
- Sample IRS ID Theft Affidavit Letter
7 Steps to Resolution
Step 1
Creditors will then be told to call you before issuing new credit in your name. Once you call one of the credit bureaus, they should notify the other two, but you should notify all three to be safe. The call will be automated and you will need to provide your Social Security number, date of birth, address and phone number. Then you will be offered credit monitoring for a fee. You do not have to buy any products to place a fraud alert. After you place a fraud alert, the credit bureaus will send you a letter to confirm the fraud alert and notify you of your right to receive a free credit report. Request your free report using the number in the letter. This report is in addition to your free annual credit report from each of the three credit bureaus, which you may access at www.annualcreditreport.com. Under federal law you may ask to extend the fraud alert to seven years. You will have to provide an identity theft report.
Step 2
Write a letter to each bureau to dispute fraudulent and erroneous information. The credit bureaus will notify each creditor with the disputed items and should respond within 30 days.
Step 3
You may give notice either by phone or in writing. Be sure to keep electronic and hard copies of the letters you send. You may be asked to provide an Affidavit of Forgery, a police report, or other legal documents indicating that you are a victim.
Step 4
If you are not sure which agency to contact, start with your local police department. If a report is filed, obtain a copy for your records.
Step 5
Complete the FTC Identity Theft Affidavit and keep an electronic copy. The Affidavit serves as proof of your stolen identity. You should also update it as new events occur. Their customer service number is 1-877-382-4357.
Step 6
This is provided in this kit. Attach it to all letters you send to agencies, financial institutions and law enforcement.
Unemployment Claim (UC) Fraud
If you received a 1099-G form for unemployment income you didn’t receive or were made aware by your employer or state agency, you likely are a victim of identity theft. In addition to the steps above, you should submit a corrected 1099-G form to the IRS along with your tax return.
We recommend that you contact your tax preparer to assist you with this matter in reporting the misinformation to the IRS. We also recommend you contact the Unemployment Fraud Agencies below.
If you have additional questions regarding your case, please contact our Alerts & Restoration department at 1-800-726-1421. This department is open Monday-Friday, 9 am-7 pm ET.
Resources
Credit Reporting Agencies
Equifax
888-766-0008
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
www.equifax.com
Call 800-525-6285 and ask operator to call the Auto Disclosure line at 800-685-1111
Experian
888-397-3742
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
www.experian.com
Call 888-397-3742 and ask the operator for assistance.
TransUnion
Call TDD 877-553-7803
Federal Agencies
Social Security Administration
800-772-1213
Federal Trade Commission
877-438-4338
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
www.consumer.gov/idtheft
Division of Motor Vehicle
If your driver’s license has been lost or stolen, report the loss to the Division of Motor Vehicles or Motor Vehicle Association for your state. You can also visit www.dmv.org
Stolen Checks
If you had checks stolen, call your bank.
Did you receive Form 1099-G for unemployment income you didn’t receive?
Victims of unemployment fraud should report the information on their Form 1099-G to the IRS so they can file their tax return correctly. We recommend that you contact your tax preparer to assist you with this matter in reporting the misinformation to the IRS.
U.S Department of Labor
To report Unemployment Claim fraud, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s website.
Scroll down to locate your state for contact information for your state’s fraud hotline.
Internal Revenue Services
Below is the link to the IRS form that you can download to report fraudulent activity. The completed form can be mailed or faxed. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f14039.pdf
Federal Trade Commission
Please use this link to complete the Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft report.
https://www.identitytheft.gov/
Sample Letters
We’ve included three sample letters to use when contacting the bureaus, creditors and government agencies.
You will need to make copies. These letters give notice of the fraud. They go to:
- credit bureaus
- financial institutions and credit grantors
- government agencies
They are available here to download as a Word document, which you can edit as needed.