Do you need more information for your identity theft investigation?

• Use the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse, a national identity theft victim complaint database containing more than 460,000 complaints, to search for identity theft victim and/or suspect information across the country.  Please note: The FTC does not have any criminal investigation authority with respect to identity theft. Check out Helpful Links to find other agencies that do.

• If you already are a member, search the Clearinghouse now for other complaints that may be related to your case, or get help from FTC staff by using our Hot Search feature.  Just email us at idtsearch@ftc.gov for assistance.

• If you get authorization from the victim, you can get the victim’s identity theft related transaction records from creditors without first obtaining a sub-poena under the 2003 amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, section 609(e).

Do you want to save time in your investigation?

• Use the Clearinghouse Alert feature to coordinate with other law enforcement agencies who may be investigating the same suspect from other jurisdictions.

• Use Auto Query so you can receive automatic notifications of new complaints about your target address and eliminate the need for repeat searches.

• Use the Clearinghouse to find law enforcement contacts to aid in your investigation.

How can I sign up for the Clearinghouse and what does it cost?

• Contact us at sentinel@ftc.gov or 1-877-701-9595 for more information on signing up.

• Access to the Clearinghouse is free, although, your department will have to sign a confidentiality agreement first.