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FRAUD
RECOVERY TIPS
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Victims of financial crimes
are often devastated both financially and emotionally. Fraud victims may
be faced with tremendous debts and have difficulty paying their own
legitimate bills or establishing needed credit. If you suspect that you
are a victim of identity theft, you may want to contact the credit
reporting agencies for a credit report to check for unauthorized
activities, such as unfamiliar credit card accounts or other debts.
All victims of fraud should report the crime to the law enforcement
agency in their jurisdiction. If their locality has a
Victim-Witness Assistance Program, they may also help provide support
and information. In York County or Poquoson, that number is (757)
890-3402.
The following suggestions
are additional tips that may help victims of fraud begin to regain
control of their lives.
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Contact your bank and
credit card companies. Have them close compromised accounts
and flag them as "closed at consumer's request." Change
security passwords. Do not use easy-to-guess codes such as the
last four digits of your social security number or birth date.
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Report
the fraudulent use of checks to National Check Verification
Companies.
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Contact creditors
directly. If you explain that you are a victim of fraud in
financial difficulties and have documents to back this up, you may
be eligible for special considerations such as deferral, reduction,
or modification of credit card or loan payments (fraudulent and
legitimate). Copies of court orders, orders of restitution, or
a letter verifying that you are a victim of crime may be available
from the police, the prosecutor, or the Victim-Witness Assistance
Program.
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Consult with a credit
counseling service. Many of these services are available for
free. They will work with you to consolidate or reduce
payments and may be able to intercede on your behalf with creditors.
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Contact credit reporting
agencies. Unfortunately, being a victim of crime does not always
relieve the burden of paying illegal debts. If you do show a
negative rating on your credit report, you will not be able to
remove it, but you can to file a letter explaining the crime for
future decisions based on your credit. Working with credit
reporting agencies can also help you determine if you are
experiencing continuing debt because of on-going fraud.
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Seek assistance from
credit card fraud units within National Credit Reporting Agencies.
They can place a "block" on a victim's credit files so that any new
credit card application will be rejected until the victim can be
contacted directly to verify the application.
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As a last resort, change
your social security number. This is usually only practical
and allowable if the fraud has been extensive.
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