***Please Print This Page To Assist You While Filing Your Report***
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) realizes that Financial Identity Fraud (Identity Theft) is a confusing crime. To assist you with reporting this crime, the CMPD offers the following instructions. Please read ALL of these instructions to ensure that your incident is properly reported and to prevent the delay of the submission of your report.
You must first attempt to file your report in the city where your information was used. [For example: If your name and SS# were used to open a credit card account in Columbia, SC, please file your report with the Columbia Police Department.] However, if the city where your information was used will not take a report AND you live in Charlotte or in the unincorporated areas of Mecklenburg County, you may report the incident to the CMPD. If you are unsure where your information was used, please use your home address as the incident location for the purpose of the report. The CMPD has no authority to investigate crimes committed outside its jurisdiction, but the Fraud Unit will forward your report to the proper agency.
You are only a victim of financial identity theft if:
Someone knowingly obtains, possesses, or uses your identifying information with the intent to represent themselves as you for the purposes of making financial or credit transactions, or to gain anything of value, benefit, or advantage, or for the purpose of avoiding legal consequences.
The term of identifying information will include and you are only a victim if both your Name and any one of the following were used:
Social Security number
Drivers License number
Checking Account number
Savings Account number
Credit Card number
Debit card number
Personal Identification Code (PIN)
Electronic Identification number
Digital Signature
Biometric Data
Fingerprints
Passwords
Parent’s legal name prior to marriage
Note:
If a person is stopped and provided a citation (traffic ticket) under your name you should contact the issuing officer prior to court. Do Not complete a report. This is a Chapter 20 traffic offense, furnishing false information to an officer. You should be prepared to meet the officer with your personal information showing that you are not the person that was issued the citation. If you know the person you should provide all of the information to the officer.
In order to give us an accurate account of what has happened please make sure that you answer the following questions as completely as possible in the narrative:
- Have you reported this incident to any other agency?
- How did you find out about the fraudulent accounts?
- In addition to your name what personal identifying information was used to open or access the accounts? (examples above)
- If you have previously lost or had any of your personal information stolen, did you file a Police report? What city/When/report # (example: Theft, Robbery, B&E)
- Account information: What accounts were opened or accessed? When were they opened or accessed? How were they opened or accessed (over the phone, internet, in person)? Where is the business where they were opened or accessed (Name, address, phone)? Do you have the account number? What is the contact name and number of the person you spoke with at that business? How much money, if any, did the identity thief obtain from companies in your name?
- Suspect information: Do you have any names, addresses or phone numbers associated with the fraudulent account(s)? How did you get this information? Do you know the suspect, if so how?
As a victim of Identity theft, it is important that you take the following steps in addition to filing this police report to begin the process of repairing your credit.
1. Place a fraud alert on your credit file with one of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union).
2. Contact the creditor’s fraud department that hold the fraudulent accounts, advise them of the fraud and close all fraudulent accounts.
3. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (877- IDTHEFT)