Identity Theft Victims
Identity theft occurs when an individual, without your permission, obtains and uses your personal information to commit a fraud. Identity theft is a state and federal crime. If you think you are a victim of identity theft, immediately contact your local law enforcement or sheriff’s office to file a police report.
You can also seek additional assistance the Ohio Attorney General’s Office online at
for information about their identity theft unit, traditional and self-help assistance, along with security data breach and redaction requests.
If someone has used your personal identification information to fraudulently establish credit, report the incident as quickly as possible to each of the credit reporting agencies; and, request that a fraud alert be placed on your file.
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EXPERIAN – 1-888-397-3742;
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EQUIFAX – 1-800-685-1111;
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TRANSUNION – 1-800-916-8800;
Obtain a copy of your credit report from each of the credit reporting agencies listed above. Check to see whether additional accounts were opened without your consent or whether unauthorized charges were billed to your account(s).
Next, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by contacting the FTC’s Identity Theft Hot Line at 1-877-IDTHEFT, (1-877-438-4338) on TDD (202)-326-2502; by mail at: Identity Theft Clearing House, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N/W, Washington , DC 20580-0001 ; or on line at: Then ask for a copy of the “ID Theft, When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name”, a free comprehensive guide to help you guard against and recover from identity theft.
Contact the United States Office of Inspector General, at to report any Fraud involving the use of your Social Security number or Benefits.
Contact the U.S. Postal Inspector Service, at and advise them that you are the victim of Identity Theft.
Contact all of your financial institutions, (BANKS, CREDIT CARD COMPANIES, FINANCIAL ADVISORS) and advise them to contact you, if there is any unusual or suspect account activity. Establish a password for your account(s).
Contact the utility companies (ELECTRIC, GAS, WATER, PHONE, CABLE, ETC) and advise them to inform you of any unusual or suspect account activity. Establish passwords for your account(s).