The Hoffman Estates Police Department is committed to educating our businesses and residents on how to detect, prevent, and respond to financial crimes and identity theft.  Financial crimes is a fast growing epidemic and the police department can assist you in learning about how to prevent becoming a victim or how to respond if you are a victim.  If your Hoffman Estates business or homeowners association would like to host a Financial Crimes Seminar, please email Financial Crimes Sergeant Zaba or contact him by phone at (847) 781-2835 to schedule an appointment. 

Identity Theft

Identity thefts continue to be one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States with over 500,000 Americans becoming identity theft victims each year. Can you completely prevent identity theft from occurring? Probably not, especially if someone is determined to commit the crime. But you can minimize your risk by managing your personal information wisely, cautiously and with heightened sensitivity. 
  

The Congress of the United States asked the Federal Trade Commission to provide information to consumers about identity theft and to take complaints from those whose identities have been stolen. If you've been a victim of identity theft, the FTC has developed a website to assist with the reporting and recovery efforts. The FTC puts your information into a secure consumer fraud database and may, in appropriate instances, share it with other law enforcement agencies. 

IdentityTheft.gov is the federal government’s one-stop resource for identity theft victims. The site provides streamlined checklists and sample letters to guide you through the recovery process.

 https://www.identitytheft.gov/

What To Do Right Away If Your Identity is Stolen

Step 1: Call the companies where you know fraud occurred.

Step 2: Place a fraud alert and get your credit report.

Step 3: Report identity theft to the FTC.

Step 4: File a report with your local police department.
             Identity theft reports are filed with the police department within the victim's residency.

* If an Identity Theft occurred as a result of the use of the internet additional reporting should be made at www.ic3.gov.