Steps to Take If You Are a Victim of Fraud

Important steps:

• Change your log-in credentials for your online banking for all financial institutions.
• Change your email password as that may be a point of entry for the fraudster.
• Report the fraud with Federal Trade Commission if you are a victim of identity theft www.identitytheft.gov.
• In the Bay Area, if you suspect your computer has malware, contact Northern California Computer Crimes Task Force https://www.nc3tf.org/ to file a complaint.
• You should not scrub your computer until you speak to NCCCTF or a similar agency in your area.
• File a police report with your local police department if any losses are identified.
• Contact the three Credit Reporting Bureaus to place a fraud alert and review your credit report. These reports are free annually for you.
• Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 or www.equifax.com
• Experian: 1-888-397-3742 or www.experian.com
• TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 or www.transunion.com
• You can also contact all three and review your reports through www.annualcreditreport.com site.
• Consider contacting your other creditors to inform them of ID theft if you are a victim.
• File a complaint at www.ic3.gov with the FBI for online internet crimes.

Check these resources for more information:

• CA State Bureau of Investigations - Complaints - https://oag.ca.gov/cfs/falseclaims
• Consumer Complaints for CA based Business - https://oag.ca.gov/consumers
• Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force: Alerts