July 23, 2010

Recovering from financial fraud and identity theft – services for victims

If you are a victim of fraud or identity theft, there are various services that may be helpful in assisting with recovery from the crime

If you are a victim of fraud or identity theft, there are various services that may be helpful in assisting with recovery from the crime:

-Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) is a national nonprofit organization that focuses exclusively on identity theft.  The ITRC website has tools that walk victims through the recovery process, and provides links to state and local resources.  In addition to the website, you can call ITRC at 1-888-400-5530.

-The Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft Clearinghouse  is a comprehensive website that provides extensive information on recovery from ID theft.

-The Identity Theft Assistance Center (ITAC) provides victim assistance to customers of the banks and companies that are members of this nonprofit organization.  To see if your financial institution is a member of ITAC, click here.  For victims who are not customers of one of the member entities, ITAC operates ITAC Sentinel, providing  victim assistance and prevention services, for a fee.

- IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit  is the contact to notify the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that your personal information has been compromised and to flag your tax files to ensure that your information is not used to file false tax refunds.  Call 800-908-4490.

-The Victims Initiative for Counseling, Advocacy, and Restoration of the Southwest (VICARS) is a program of Texas Legal Services with the goal of providing self help advice to victims of financial fraud and ID theft.  The Victims’ Toolkit section of the website provides the necessary forms to recover from ID theft. 

 

 Many general victim assistance organizations provide services to victims of financial fraud and ID theft. For information on general victim assistance programs:

Visit the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime Directory of Victim Services.  

You can also call the National Organization for Victim Assistance at 1-800-TRY-NOVA

or the National Center for Victims of Crime at 1-800-FYI-CALL.