So you suspect you’ve been the victim of a financial crime…

What do I do next?
A good place to start:

At this point you have identified that there is a problem with your financial records. You’ve realized that you are a victim of unauthorized charges. You’ve noticed something wrong on a statement, or you have been called by your Credit Card Company, Bank or Financial Institution.  You have identified that some piece of your Identification has been used without your permission.  You’ve made a police report with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. 

NOW WHAT DO YOU DO?
It is important that when you discover that someone has used your information that you attempt to stop the illegal use of that information. Millions of identifications are sold on the dark web each year. It is important to insure that your personal credit information is locked down. Take a look at the next few pages to identify resources to help you. In Indiana, credit freezes are free of charge. Please avoid google searches of “credit freeze”, those links always come with a financial charge.

The easiest way to put a credit freeze on the three credit bureaus is through the Indiana Attorney General’s Office: www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/

To navigate the Attorney General’s website to file a complaint, click on the file a complaint tab, then click on:  Identity Theft Complaint

Next:  click on Credit Freeze

Follow the direct links to the three credit bureaus.

Valuable resources that you should consider reaching out to include:
The ID Theft Resource Center www.IDTheftCenter.org
This non-for-profit can help answer questions and develop a plan to help you repair the damage at no charge.
You can call them 24/7 at 1-800-400-5530

Unemployment Fraud -Indiana DWD

www.in.gov/dwd/indiana-unemployment/fraud/

Follow the above link to report unemployment fraud.
There are also links on this website to the Indiana State Police website to report unemployment fraud.
These links are under the: Where can I report unemployment benefits fraud?

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) issued the below fraud alert on June 16, 2020. As a result of continued attempts by fraudsters, DWD is reminding you of this information. DWD is also asking that all claimants do these two things BEFORE filing your voucher for week beginning August 2, 2020:

1. Change your password in Uplink to something no one else will know and something that you have not used in the past on other sites (use the password reset option on the Uplink homepage); AND
2. Check your payment election status to ensure it is the payment election that you chose; if you chose direct deposit to your bank account, ensure that the correct bank account is listed. If it is not, immediately fix it. It is recommended that you check this each week prior to completing your weekly voucher.

If you suspect you are a victim, immediately contact the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert and or credit freeze on your credit records. Additionally, notify the Internal Revenue Service by filing an Identity Theft Affidavit (IRS Form 14039) through irs.gov or identitytheft.gov.

Contact the United States Social Security Administration
If you suspect your SSN was compromised, www.socialsecurity.gov

For Medicare Fraud contact
Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
317-205-9201
www.iaaaa.org/smp.asp

Contractor Fraud

If your home or business was damaged by recent severe weather and flooding, beware of dishonest contractors that will attempt to take advantage of your vulnerable situation. Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to #ContractorFraud & check out the ‘Disaster Fraud’ resource page from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) for more: nicb.org/disaster-tips.