Questions and Assessment

Alicia is a very busy woman. She has a full-time job and a family to take care of. She moves through her day very quickly, taking care of as much as she possibly can in limited time.

When her car broke down and she had to incur an unexpected expense, she stressed about having to pay for it. Her stress distracted her so much that she left her purse at the grocery store. When she went back to get it, it was gone.

Nobody had seen it.

Alicia had personal information in her purse that included her Social Security number, credit card information, and date of birth. Outline an action plan for Alicia that helps her protect her identity, credit, and personal information.

Here is a sample plan. Would you change anything? Or add anything?

Identity Theft Action Plan
•	Call the credit card company and close the account. Open a new account with a new PIN and password.
•	Call the fraud alert department at one of the credit reporting agencies. Speak with someone about the stolen Social Security number. Place an initial fraud alert on your credit report.
•	Contact appropriate lenders and insurance companies to let them know the situation.
•	File a police report.
•	In a month, order a free credit report. Look for signs of fraud.
•	Monitor credit report to check for signs of fraud.
•	Work with credit reporting agencies to remove fraudulent activity.
•	Contact lenders to reverse fraudulent charges.
Notes: