Ascend Advisory Group Identity Theft Checklist:

By Jeremy Wakeland, Financial Advisor

Ascend Advisory, Financial Advisor, Dublin, Ohio

Identity theft support from Ascend Advisory

Over 15 million people in the US experience identity theft every single year. This theft results in $50 billion in financial losses over the year, which equates to 4.5% of all US residents, with an average loss of $3,500 (1). In the event of a suspected or known identity theft, here is a brief checklist that will help better protect you and your family against potential losses:

Contact Ascend Advisory Group (Wells Fargo Financial Advisors) – 614-784-6000

• Report any new accounts that were opened.

Report any suspected activity on all of your accounts, including checking, savings, credit cards, brokerage accounts, and loan originators

• Confirm your contact information is accurate and no new accounts, cards, or loans, have been opened in your name

Close accounts that have been compromised

Change your online usernames and passwords

• Have them be unique to each login location.

• Do not include personal information such as your name, phone number, or email address in your username or password.

• Use numbers and special characters in your username and password.

Place a fraud alert or credit freeze on your credit report

• Contact one of the three credit bureaus. The bureau you contact will notify the others to add the fraud alert or credit freezes to your report.

  • Fraud alerts and credit freezes are free to put into place and it will require creditors to verify your identity before opening any new accounts in your name or making any changes to existing accounts.

  • Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 (www.equifax.com)

  • Experian: 1-888-397-3742 (www.experian.com)

  • TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 (www.transunion.com)

Monitor your credit

• Request a free copy of your credit report from one of the bureaus or www.annualcreditreport.com

  • If you notice incorrect information you believe to be fraudulent, file a dispute with the applicable credit reporting agencies.

  • Identity theft resolutions can take considerable time to be fully resolved, therefore continue to be diligent and frequently monitor your credit.

Contact other creditors

• Contact other companies to let them know of the potential fraud.

  • Such as: credit card companies, utility and phone/internet providers, bank, lenders, and other financial institutions.

Obtain a report of your banking history

• Contact consumer reporting agencies to obtain a report of your banking history and review it for accuracy.

  • Early Warning (www.earlywarning.com/consumer-information)

  • ChexSystems (www.chexsystems.com)

File a report with your local police department

• A police report provides proof of criminal activity which may help when contacting creditors to dispute charges or accounts opened in your name. Make sure to obtain a copy of the police report for your own records.

Report the criminal activity to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

• Call 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338) to speak with a qualified identity theft counselor.

• This can also be done online at www.identitytheft.gov

  
  

Contact the other State and Federal agencies as appropriate

• Department/Bureau of Motor Vehicles (DMV/BMV): Report to them if you know or believe your driver’s license or identification was stolen or that someone is using your name and information.

• Internal Revenue Service (IRS): If you are a victim of tax-related identity theft or you believe someone has filed a fraudulent tax return in your name, follow this guide: www.irs.gov/newsroom/taxpayer-guide-to-identity-theft

• Postal Inspection Service: If you believe your mail was stolen or redirected, report it at: www.uspis.report

• Social Security fraud hotline: If you suspect someone is using you Social Security number for fraudulent purposes, call 1-800-269-0271 or visit: www.ssa.gov/antifraudfacts

• U.S. Department of State: If your passport is lost or stolen, report it at: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passports/lost-stolen.html

Continue to diligently monitor all of your accounts!

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(1) Source: https://www.crimemuseum.org/

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