What does the FTC do
to help victims of identity theft?
The FTC is the federal clearinghouse for identity theft complaints.
Although the FTC does not have the authority to bring criminal
cases, we help victims of identity theft by providing them with
information on the Web, in print, and through our toll-free Hotline
to help resolve the problems that can result
from this crime.
We also make the complaints we receive from
victims available to other federal, state and local law enforcement
officials worldwide. Complaints also may be shared with some
private companies, such as credit bureaus, and other appropriate
entities, for the purpose of correcting identity theft related
problems and preventing fraud.
What is the FTC doing
to reduce identity theft?
The FTC is:
- educating consumers on how to safeguard
personally identifying information,
- providing outreach and informational
materials to businesses about best practices, and
- promoting identity theft
investigations and prosecution.
We provide law enforcement training and consumer
education materials to
federal, state and local law enforcement and other agencies.
What does the FTC do about other types of
fraud?
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive
and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide
information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file
a non-identity theft related complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit
www.ftc.gov.
The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, and other fraud-related
complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available
to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in
the U.S. and abroad.
Why should I file a
complaint with the FTC?
Filing a complaint with the FTC is important for a number
of reasons:
1) Complaints get entered into a secure database
used by law enforcement to investigate cases. Identity thieves
do not necessarily limit themselves to victims in a single jurisdiction.
Even if your local law enforcement agency can't investigate
your case, you may be able to provide useful information to
a law enforcement officer investigating from another jurisdiction.
2) The FTC aggregates related complaints
into large case leads and refers them out to task forces or
other law enforcement agencies for investigation. You may think
you're the only victim of this identity thief when, in fact,
you may be one of many. The more complaints we receive, the
better our chances of discovering patterns of theft and taking
steps to catch the criminals.
3) The FTC analyzes information from complaints
to understand more about identity theft and the problems victims
are having in resolving it. Policy-makers and businesses are
interested in this information so that they can craft better
remedies to prevent identity theft and to provide better victim
assistance. Understanding the problem is the first step to resolving
it. You are the best source of that information. See
Statistics.
4) The FTC can open investigations against
entities which have violated consumer protection laws which
we enforce. See
http://www.ftc.gov/ogc/stat3.htm. Although we do not advocate
on behalf of individuals and we cannot guarantee that an investigation
will be opened on the basis of your particular complaint, consumer
complaints are one way in which we are able to discover law
violations and to take enforcement action. For more information,
see
http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/action.htm.
How does the FTC use
the information I provide?
We enter the information you send into our electronic database
- the Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse is
a system of records covered under the Privacy Act of 1974. In
general, the Privacy Act prohibits unauthorized disclosures of
the records it protects. It also gives individuals the right to
review records about themselves. Learn more about your Privacy
Act rights and the FTC's Privacy Act procedures by contacting
the FTC's Freedom of Information Act Office: 202-326-2430;
www.ftc.gov/foia/privacy_act.htm.
The information you submit is shared with our
attorneys and investigators. It also may be shared with various other law enforcement
authorities. We also may share information with certain private
entities, such as credit bureaus and any companies you may have
complained about, where we believe that doing so might assist
in resolving identity theft-related problems. You may be contacted
by the FTC or any of the agencies or private entities to whom
your complaint has been referred. In other limited circumstances,
including requests from Congress, we may be required by law to
disclose information you submit.
We also aggregate the information you provide
us with the information from other complaints and make the data
available in statistical reports. See
Statistics.
Policy-makers, the media and businesses use these reports to focus
attention on particular problems and to devise remedies to those
problems.
Can I submit my complaint
anonymously?
Yes. However, if you do not provide your name and contact
information, law enforcement and other entities will not be able
to contact you to obtain additional information to assist in identity
theft investigations or prosecutions.
Will an investigation
be opened if I file a complaint?
Although the FTC does not have the authority to bring criminal
cases, your complaint will be entered into the FTC's Identity
Theft Data Clearinghouse. As a result, sworn law enforcement officers, through their membership to the Clearinghouse,
can search the information provided by you in the course of their
criminal investigations. You will be contacted by a law enforcement
agency if your case becomes part of one of their criminal investigations.
As there is no guarantee, though, that your complaint will be
investigated through the Clearinghouse, you should always maintain
direct contact with your local police department to stay updated
about the progress of your case.
Most law enforcement agencies agree that identity
theft cases should be investigated aggressively. However, issues
such as staff resources, caseloads, budget, and prosecutorial guidelines
all affect whether or not a law enforcement agency will pursue
your case. So when reporting your crime, be as accurate as possible
about actual monetary loss and about any information relating
to the suspect such as actual name, address, date of birth that
you may know. The accuracy of this information could be the difference
between having a case investigated or declined.
Ask your police department to search the FTC's
Consumer Sentinel database for other complaints in your community.
You may not be the first or only victim of this identity thief.
If there is a pattern of cases, local authorities may give your
case more consideration.
The FTC can open investigations against entities
which have violated consumer protections laws which we enforce.
See
http://www.ftc.gov/ogc/stat3.htm. Although we do not advocate
on behalf of individuals and we cannot guarantee that an investigation
will be opened on the basis of your particular complaint, consumer
complaints are one way in which we are able to discover law violations
and to take enforcement action. For more information see
http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/action.htm.
What documents do I
need to file with my complaint?
None. The only thing you need to file with the FTC is your
complaint. Please do not send the FTC your completed ID Theft
Affidavit, your police report, your credit reports, financial
information, or any other documents relating to your case.
If a law enforcement agency decides to open an investigation on
your case, they will contact you directly and let you know what
documents they need.
What should I do if
I've filed a complaint, but get additional information or have
additional problems?
Whenever you have any additional information or problems,
contact us, and we'll update your complaint. If you filed a complaint
online, you will need to call our hotline (1-877-IDTHEFT) to give
us the update.
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