1. How to Recover from Identity Theft By Jill Evans
Jill Evans, the former owner of the highly successful Colorado mortgage brokerage firm
Paramount Funding, has seen how identity theft can seriously harm an individual’s life. If
you find yourself the victim of identity theft, consider facilitating the recovery process in
the following ways:
1. Contact all the financial institutions with which you do business in order to change
account numbers, but shut down your accounts only as a last resort. Also, notify the three
major credit reporting agencies of your situation.
2. Gather all documentation that can help you prove that your identity has been pilfered
and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
3. Notify all relevant authorities, including the U.S. State Department, Social Security
Administration, and your local police department.
4. Directly contest any fraudulent charges you receive with your creditors and other
financial institutions. Do not allow bill collectors to force you to pay any charge that you
did not make.