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If someone has used your personal identifying information, such as your name, social security number,
or date of birth to open lines of credit or to obtain services, you will first need to contact all
three major credit reporting bureaus to place a "Fraud Alert" on your credit report. When
you call the following toll-free numbers, this will notify businesses that you may be the victim of
fraud. Request a copy of your credit report to review. Contact the following bureaus:
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EQUIFAX
P. O. Box 105873
Atlanta, GA 30348
Order Report# (800) 685-1111
Fraud # (800) 525-6285
Web site:
http://www.equifax.com
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EXPERIAN (formerly TRW)
P. O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013-2104
Order Report# (888) 397-3742
Fraud # (800) 301-7195
Web site:
http://www.experian.com
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TRANSUNION CORPORATION
P. O. 34012
Fullerton, CA 92834
Order Report# (800) 916-8800
Fraud # (800) 680-7289
Web site:
http://www.tuc.com
Review all of the information on your credit report and determine if the entry is a mistake or fraudulent.
The following information will assist us in investigating your case: a copy of your credit report
listing the fraudulent accounts, collection notice or other documents that identify where the crime occurred,
etc.
If you feel that you have been the victim of an Identify Theft, contact the Lake Oswego Police Department
at (503) 635-0238 and request to file an Identity Theft report. To assist you in the correction
of your credit and help ensure that you are not responsible for the debts incurred by the identity thief,
download and print the Identity Theft Victim's
Packet.
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Fraudulent Checks
If your checkbook has been stolen or lost in the City of Lake Oswego and/or you live in the
City of Lake Oswego, call the Lake Oswego Police Department at 503-635-0238 and ask to file a Theft or Loss
report.
If your stolen/lost checks are being used by someone forging your signature, you need to
immediately contact your bank to close your account. You will also need to complete an Affidavit of
Forgery at your bank for any forged check that has cleared. The case number that you received from
the police officer who took the report on your stolen checks will be required by the bank for the purposes
of this Affidavit. In many cases, the forged checks will be handled primarily by your bank. Your
bank will credit your account once you complete the Affidavit of Forgery. They will send a copy of
your Affidavit, along with the original check, back to the business that accepted the check. It is now
the responsibility of that business to file the police report since they lost either cash or merchandise.
If you still desire a report for Identity Theft, call the police department at (503)
635-0238.
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Check Fraud for Business Owners
If you are a merchant and have received a forged check returned to you from the bank, the
Lake Oswego Police Department requires that you present the original check with the Affidavit of Forgery
completed by the account holder, as well as the employee who completed the transaction with the suspect.
When this information is available, download the Business Check
Report Packet from this site. Once completed, business owners or representative may contact the
Lake Oswego Police Department at 503-635-0238 to report the fraud. Please follow all instructions
carefully.
Please note that if there is a confirmed forgery in progress with the suspect still
at your location, immediately call 9-1-1. In this case, no Affidavit is required.
If you have received a check back from the bank that is not payable due to a Closed Account or Non-
sufficient Funds (NSF), and the negotiated amount of the check is under $750, you may make a report by
contacting the Clackamas County Check Enforcement Program at 1-800-671-3049 or their website at
http://www.hotchecks.net/clackamas/.
Checks over $750 will be investigated by the Lake Oswego Police Department. It will be helpful to the
officer investigating the complaint if the above referenced form is completed prior to the officer's
arrival as it will contain the information necessary to investigate the crime, even if it is not being
referred to Clackamas County's Check Enforcement Program.
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The Lake Oswego Police Department will take a report if your physical plastic card has
been stolen or the number has been compromised, and you live in Lake Oswego, or your card was stolen in
and/or used in Lake Oswego. Call the Lake Oswego Police Department at (503) 635-0238 to make
an Identity Theft/Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card report.
If only the credit card number has been compromised and you still have possession of the
plastic card, immediately notify your bank or credit card issuer to cancel the card. You will also
need to complete a dispute form for any unauthorized charges. The credit card company may issue you
a "temporary credit" and send a "charge-back" to the business that accepted the card
number without seeing the physical card. The business who now suffers the loss will also need to
complete a police report, if they so desire.
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Computer and Telephonic 'Phishing' Schemes
Phishing is a scheme where criminals attempt to identify a legitimate
email address by sending a familiar looking computer generated email message. Phishing can take place at
the worksite, home or anyhwere a computer user has access to email. Phishing emails provide the
recipient with a website link. If the link is "clicked," the unaware user is sent to a fraudulent
website. At the fraudulent website, the request for personal information such as a social security number,
personal account numbers, or passwords may look legitimate. These schemes can also occur via the
telephone. The caller may even have some level of information regarding you personally which was obtained
through other means, which they will use to entice you into believing the call is legitimate.
The Lake Oswego Police Department Detective Division would like to make you aware of
preventative measures that will thwart these criminals. Never provide an unsolicited email or phone
caller with any personal information especially if the request comes from a bank where you do business, a
credit card institution for a credit card you carry, or other financial type site from which you may do
business. These institutions will never make this type of request unless you have initiated the call. If
you are unsure of the request, initiate contact with your financial institution at a later time. For
further information, contact the Detective Division at (503) 635-0250.
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Lottery/Nigerian Scams
Internet Fraud
Preventative Measures
Identify Theft Prevention
for Businesses
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