Statement of Rights for Identity Theft Victims

• NCJ Number: 235355
• Date Published: July 2011
• Length: 2 pages
• Agencies: OVC
• Publication Type: Reference Material

Annotation

This pamphlet provides information on rights for identity theft victims.

Abstract

Under the Justice for All Act, a victim has additional rights when the identity theft is being prosecuted in Federal court. These rights include the victim's right to: create an identity theft report; place a 90-day initial fraud alert on credit report; place a seven-year extended fraud alert on credit report; obtain free copies of credit report; have fraudulent information blocked from credit report; dispute fraudulent or inaccurate information on credit report; stop creditors and debt collectors from reporting fraudulent accounts; get copies of documents related to the theft of victim's identity; stop debt collector from contacting victim. Additional issues discussed include: Federal laws that protect victims of identity theft; how to document the identity theft (a complaint, an affidavit, and a report to law enforcement); tips for working with credit reporting companies; contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting companies; how to best communicate with creditors or debt collectors; and limits on financial losses from identity theft.