How do i protect myself from identity theft?

on friday i went to pay my mortgage at the bank and someone stole my us passport and british driving licence. i have reported it to the police and registered with experian.what can the theives do with my id? what can i do to protect my self?

There may not be a lot you can do to protect yourself from what they may do with the ID they have. However, keep close watch on all your accounts and carefully check all mail in case anything gets charged to you or rented or leased or borrowed in your name.

I don't know how it works in the UK, but did you go to Motor Vehicles or equivalent and report your driver's license stolen? You may want to do that if you haven't already - I believe in covering all bases. Report your passport stolen to the US embassy if you are in the UK or to US immigration if you are in the US. Have you begun the process of replacing your passport?

Make sure you shred all mail with any type of identifier on it - even if it is just a number on junk mail that arrived in your name.

Never throw out receipts from credit cards or even receipts where you paid cash but used a "points" card. The numbers can be identified. Shred them.

Cancel any credit cards that you don't really need.

Change passwords and PIN numbers from time to time.

Pay attention to who could be looking over your shoulder at banking machines. Block the view of the number pad when you are entering your PIN.

Be careful of paying your monthly bills on line. Make sure you keep excellent records of payments and confirmation numbers. I have never had a problem but a friend is still trying to prove to a company that she paid a bill on line almost a year ago, and it is making huge difficulties for her - it is a utility company and they have no record that she paid. Luckily she does have the record that she paid, but even that has not been able to clear up the mess yet.

When you pay at any store with a credit card never let your card out of your sight. Keep your eyes glued to it until it is back in yoru hand, and question if the person "swiping" makes a second "swipe". That can be for a second charge that you might never notice.

Pay scrupulous attention to all bank statements and credit card statements. Question anything you are not sure of. Advise your credit card companies that you want them to check if there are any unusual charges made - the people who stole your ID could be quite good at figuring out how to get your numbers using your ID - I have read a great deal about identity theft. Make sure your credit card companies have a "secret question" for security purposes whose answer that cannot be identified from your ID.

Get a copy of your credit report at least once a year, preferably twice.

It is true that you are probably safe from any financial loss no matter what happens because you reported it. However, that does not mean that things cannot be done using your ID, and it can take you months to sort it out.

I hope these thoughts are of some help.

You stay off the Internet,, don't give anyone your passwords or other private information, you stay in don't go out, don't talk to anyone, sheared everything you put in the trash, dump the bank accounts, scrap your credit cards, keep your money under your mattress, and last but not least don't talk to anyone.

If you do all that you are less lightly to suffer from identify theft,,,, But even then its still possible,,

Watch your back.

lots and lots of things that you wouldn't believe, it happend to me last year. Cars being hired under my name , take off's at petrol station in a hired car ,supposedly in my name , money out of accounts etc etc

Burn all your bank statement anything with your personal details on them don't throw them in the trash as people can rifle through it and hack into you details on line I believe

If your driving licence has a photograph on it, the documents are more difficult to use for identity theft. You should try to contact the credit reference agencies such as experian and equifax to let them know as they may be able to flag your account for additional identification to be provided if someone does apply for credit or they may be able to contact you if your details are used to check for legitimacy of the application. You can get the details of credit reference agencies online.

Call the passport office and fill out a form and call the dvla to report ur licence stolen, erm alot can still happen but it dpends whose hands they have fell into

I am sorry to sound this way I think you are giving some comflicting info...how come you went to pay mortgage at the bank, is it not meant to be deducted from source ie direct debit?, and how come you are carrying your US passport and Uk drivers licence (two forms of picture identities) around at the same time I can smell fish.
Anyway if you have given the police enough details required about the document rest your ***, those documents are databased they would be flagged

have terrible credit and a police record and only a foool would want to steal your identity

Check all bank statements and communications that you receive, investigate any confirmation on any transaction that you don't understand, regretfully it could be months down the road, it is a case of being aware.

buy a cross cut shredder & shred any old bills that way its hard 4 them 2 put the paper 2gther.if u move go 2 the post office & pay 4 them 2 redirect your mail.they can get loan or try 4 a morgage.

ID theft is very rife and profitable for thieves. They can use it to open up bank accounts and deposit stolen cheques.

What I suggest you do to prevent further abuse of your personal information is never to throw away bank statements, credit card statements, utility bills, actually anything that has any of your personal identifaction details, card numbers, bank accounts etc. Rather burn it!! Criminal syndicates exist soley for the purpose of stealing personal information.

Ask the credit bureaus to notify you if anyone inquires about new credit in your name. This is allowed in the US. I don't know if you can do it in Great Britian.

If not get periodic copies of your credit report. Pay for them if you have to.

Make sure you have reported your loses to the proper authorities and have written reports so if any problem arises, you can prove your side of the story.

just wait and see what happens but your pretty safe from fraud as long as they dont have your credit cards

Report everything missing first thing,it sounds as if you have done everything possible. Thieves can use your ID to open accounts etc. Hope it all goes well.

you've reported it so you're okay plus both stolen items are photo ID's so they cant really do much with them and your social security # is not on them so u should be okay. good luck.

shred all mail before binning it, all old bank statements, every thing... this is an ongoing problem that is getting ever bigger..DONOT give any persoanl banking details online unless a secure site that you trust..

At this stage, there's not very much more you can do iff they use it in an establishment that does not conctact Experian or the police to verify that the passport has been stolen. With regards to using it to travel, I don't expect they should be able to use it, I'd expect it'll show up as stolen.

Another thing is that they'll now have things like your date of birth, your birth place and know where you live. These are usually questions that are asked during security checks. I suggest you contact the citizens advice bureau on any further action you can take to minimise any damage that can be inflicted by these people. Their services are free.

Oh and by the way, if you don't already, any of your bills, etc, don't just dump in the bin, shred them!!

All the best.

The fact that you have reported it covers you.

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