Identity Theft

The Porter County Sheriff’s Office has instituted the following procedure to report identity theft:

Upon the discovery of any suspicious or fraudulent activity on an account, contact the creditor’s security or fraud department immediately to dispute and/or close the affected account. Follow up with the creditor in writing.
Complete and print the Identity Theft Complaint Form. Provide as much information as possible when completing the form.
Bring the completed Identity Theft Complaint Form, along with any other supporting documentation, to the Porter County Sheriff’s Office, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays), 8 am—4 pm, to make a police report.
File a consumer complaint with the Indiana Attorney General’s Identity Theft Unit by phone at 1-800-382-5516 or online.
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by calling the FTC’s ID Theft Hotline at 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338) or online.
Contact the three (3) major credit bureaus to place a “fraud alert” and/or a “security freeze” on your credit file and request copies of your credit reports:
- Equifax 1-800-525-6285 www.equifax.com
- Experian 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com
- TransUnion 1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com

Contact all creditors with which you do business and inform them of your identity theft.

If your driver’s license has been fraudulently used, contact your local Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles license branch for a replacement license.

If you suspect mail fraud, notify the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455 or online.

If you suspect fraudulent use of your Social Security Number (SSN), contact your local Social Security Administration office, or phone 1-800-269-0271, or online.

If you suspect fraudulent use of your tax information, contact your local Internal Revenue Service office, or call 1-800-908-4490, or online.

If the crime was internet-related, file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) atwww.ic3.gov.