Identity Theft Weatherford | Attorney James Foley PLLC (Aledo, Azle, Ft. Worth)
If you’re seeing a lower credit score or unexpected charges to a credit account, you may think your identity has been stolen. Luckily, that might not be the case!
I’m James Foley PLLC, and I’m Weatherford’s choice in attorneys when it comes to identity theft and non-identity theft related credit issues. I’ve put together this guide to help you determine what your problem may be, and to help set you up for success. Call me anytime at 817-738-1633.
You might think there’s no need for an attorney when it comes to raising your credit score, and in many cases, that’s true! But in many more instances, you will be surprised how effective an experienced PLLC can be.
If you haven’t already, visit the secure site, www.annualcreditreport.com, and download your results to read. Consumers across Weatherford, Aledo, White Settlement, and all of North Texas have been helped by this advice, and you will be too.
Steps to Resolve ID Theft | Hudson Oaks, Weatherford, Aledo
You’ve taken the first step in ensuring your financial health, which I applaud you for! It’s very important to monitor your identity in the digital age, when it can be far too easy to steal.
SIGNS OF IDENTITY THEFT -- When a thief knows their time to steal is limited, they will act differently than a usual consumer would. You could see small disbursements initially, which then grow into massive charges to the account. They might try to test the account first with pennies, and then charge thousands. Hopefully your financial institution will have caught this, but if not, the sooner you can, the better.
FIRST STEPS -- Lock the account if you’re able to, and if the account has led to default or lawsuit, call my offices at 817-738-1633 and we’ll talk about how to resolve the matter. You have a number of solutions available, no matter how intimidating the case may seem. My offices are located on the West Side of Fort Worth, next to the Vickery Café. Given notice, I can sit down and discuss with you. Either way, make sure you respond to any suit and let them know you are not responsible for the debt.
LAW ENFORCEMENT -- You’ll need to file an claim of identity theft with the police, which you can do by calling their information hotline (not 9-1-1), and then file an Federal Trade Commision affidavit. While these steps may not particularly help you, it will give you the registration and paperwork you need for the things that follow.
FREEZE YOUR CREDIT -- The same credit reporting agencies on the Annual Credit Report site will be who you need to freeze your credit with. That way, any future attempts to access your information will go through your approval. Even if someone has taken your social security number, you’re still in control.
But What If Your Identity Doesn’t Seem Like It’s Stolen?
NORMAL DOLLAR AMOUNTS? -- In the opposite way that a thief would steal your funds, what if you’re seeing normal expenditures on your profile? It may appear that you just traded credit cards with someone, or that an account was paid in double. This can happen too with an account in your name that you didn’t open. If any of this sounds familiar, you may have had account information merged, reaged, or combined due to a computer error. It happens more often than they would like to admit! This is what is known in the industry as a merged file.
CALL JAMES FOLEY PLLC at 817-738-1633 -- It may be challenging to get an agency to listen to you in times like these, and that difficulty only compounds when you’re up against large financial institutions that don’t have your best interest at heart. I’ve worked with all sorts of credit account issues before, and I’ll make sure to get you back into good financial security, and with the peace of mind that your ID is still safe.
OPEN A CASE -- Contact your credit reporting agency (Experian, TransUnion, and/or Equifax) and begin the account correction process. If you don’t have the evidence or knowhow to deal with them, reach out and we’ll get you on your feet. At the same time, make sure that any debt suits that you have been served are replied to, and that they know the situation. Not replying could be just as bad as maxing out the credit card in the first place!
Weatherford Help for Identity Theft | Aledo, White Settlement, Benbrook and more
Make sure to keep an eye on your credit for months and years to come. With as little as two years from the initial error to correct things within the statute of limitations, time is of the essence if you’re only checking yearly.
So residents from Benbrook to White Settlement, Aledo to Cool, don’t hesitate to give me a call and get started.
I’ll initiate a credit accuracy dispute in your name for the price of postage, and will do so on a legal letterhead that will get the agency’s attention. The end to your troubles begins today, with James Foley, PLLC.