I am the victim of identity theft: what do I do?

Having your identity stolen by an identity thief can be a nightmare. It is even worse when the perpetrator uses your name to commit crimes. An identity thief using your name could be convicted of a number of crimes, but those convictions will go on your record, which will be noticed by Texas employers when you approach them for work. If an identity thief has left your good name in tatters, there are important steps you should take to reclaim your identity.

First, anyone who has been victimized by identify theft should seek the help of a defense attorney. A piece run in USA Today also recommends that you contact your local police and the office of the district attorney to discuss the issue of your identity theft. Additionally, file a report that describes that have been victimized. You will likely need legal counsel as you carry out these activities.

You should also gather everything you can that verifies that you are who you say you are. These include your driver’s license, your passport, anything that has your photograph included on it. You can also expect to be fingerprinted. Assuming the identity thief has an arrest record, your records can be used to compare with the prints and photographs of the thief.

Once you have established your true identity with law enforcement, you should check to see if the identity thief has racked up any outstanding arrest warrants or convictions. Ask the authorities to look through any possible law enforcement database. It is possible that your identity thief has incurred criminal charges or convictions at the federal or state level, so leave no stone unturned.

However, even once you are successful in establishing that you are the victim and not the culprit in the crimes committed by the identity thief, your name will still remain on those records since the thief used your name while committing the crimes. What you can do is make sure your name is established in the record as an alias used by the thief. The record should also use the identity thief’s true name prominently instead of yours.

Keep in mind this article is written for the educational benefit of the reader and does not convey any legal advice.

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