Financially-reformed Cap from StopBuyingCrap.com (love the domain name) found one unpleasant surprise when he signed up for Quizzle: an unauthorized balance for $20,000 on his free credit report. Not fun.

After some investigation, Cap realized the debt had been opened a family member. Lucky enough to pinpoint the source, Cap can make sure the debt gets paid and off his report as soon as possible. For some people not lucky enough to find offenders, fixing identity fraud can be a long and harrowing road with little recourse available.

Paraphrasing here from the Federal Trade Commission, here are the steps to take if you’ve been the victim of identity theft:

1. Get copies of your credit report from every bureau and place a fraud alert. You only need to contact one of the bureaus – that company is required to alert the other two. Here is the contact info for each bureau:

• TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

• Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

• Experian: 1-888- 397-3742; www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

2.  Close the accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Speak with the fraud departments and send them any documentation they need via certified mail. Many companies may have their own dispute forms available. If not, the FTC has an ID Theft Affidavit you can download and fill out and should cover everything the company needs to know. Get documentation from that company stating the account has been closed for proof.

3.    File a complaint with the FTC. Couldn’t be easier. The whole complaint process can be completed online. When you do this, you help them catch identity thieves all other the country. This is a war best waged by many people, not just a few.

4.    File a police report. Even if your local police office is reluctant, insist on a police report. It’s your identity! Make sure you bring all your documentation from the FTC and disputed accounts as support.

And, like Cap, always be aware. The best way to not have your identity stolen is to constantly be on top of things. Quizzle loves you enough to give you a free credit report and free credit score every 6 months.

Also, thanks to Cap for his lovely review of Quizzle. He’s got a pretty sweet finance blog too and we promise not to be jealous if you go check it out. Just come back, k? We’ll miss you.

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