What To Do If Your Identity Has Been Stolen
In the event your identity has been stolen, contact the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office and obtain a complaint number. Please keep track of your complaint number as creditors, financial institutions, and credit reporting agencies will ask for it.
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office has assembled an Identity Theft Victim's Packet to assist you in the correction of your credit and to help ensure that you are not responsible for the debts incurred by the identity thief. In addition, this packet includes information that will allow you to obtain financial records related to the fraudulent accounts and provide those records to law enforcement, without which we cannot conduct an investigation for prosecution. We recognize that some victims are only interested in the correction of their credit and do not necessarily wish for prosecution; therefore, we request that you only submit this packet to the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office if you desire prosecution. It is important to understand that in the event that a suspect is identified and arrested and the case proceeds to court, you as the victim would most likely be required to appear and testify.
Completion of dispute letters that provide us with necessary documentation is required before we can begin investigating your case for prosecution. In identity theft cases it is difficult to identify the suspects as they often use inaccurate information such as addresses and phone numbers. Often, the cell phones that identity thieves use are non-traceable, prepaid phones or opened with fraudulent information. Frequently the investigator cannot find evidence to prove who actually used the victim's name and/or personal information over the phone or internet.
It is important to note that even if the suspect cannot be identified for prosecution, it will not affect our ability to correct the fraudulent accounts and remove them from your credit.
NOTE: If you suspect someone is using your personal information for employment and there is no evidence of other identity fraud, please see the section for contacting the Social Security Administration under Additional Useful Information. Do not contact the employer directly as they may warn the suspect employee. It may not be necessary to complete this packet.
If your name and/or information are used by someone else to avoid a traffic ticket or any criminal prosecution, please contact the agency investigating the original crime. It may not be necessary to complete this packet.
