When you think about getting your identity stolen, you may picture someone you’ve never met before in a dark room full of computer screens hacking into your wifi. However, it’s an unfortunate reality that your spouse may be the one to steal your identity. This can be a massive breach of trust and you may be unsure what steps to take. This is an incredibly complicated matter, but the following blog and a Los Angeles, California domestic identity theft lawyer can help guide you through these issues to help you reclaim your identity.
What Should I Do if I Discover My Spouse Stole My Identity?
Spousal identity theft occurs when you find that your partner has taken your sensitive information for financial or other personal gain. Though you may assume identity theft can only happen as a result of data breaches or malware attacks, you’d be surprised to learn that spouses often perpetrate these crimes as they have easy and direct access to the sensitive information of their spouse.
If you find that your spouse has stolen your identity, it’s important to understand what you can do to prevent further issues. Generally, one of the first things you should do is contact the reporting agency to request a fraud alert or credit freeze be placed on your account. A fraud alert requires potential lenders to verify your identity first, while a freeze completely blocks your report from others. Regardless of which one is right for you, both can offer an additional layer of protection.
Next, you should contact any financial institutions that may be impacted by the theft. This includes your bank, who may be able to stop any pending transactions and can help you resecure your account, as well as other creditors that should be informed of the theft.
What Can I Do to Protect Myself in the Future?
When your spouse violates your trust by stealing your identity, it can be hard to recover. However, there are steps you can take to help secure your identity in the future. Generally, you’ll want to keep all of your documents in a secure location and shred them when you no longer need them. This can help limit the number of sensitive documents you have in your home.
Additionally, you’ll want to monitor your credit report regularly. This can help alert you to any signs of trouble, as you’ll see when unusual activity appears. You can receive one free credit report annually from each of the three reporting agencies, meaning you can check your report every four months for free.
As you can see, this can be an incredibly complicated matter. As such, it’s in your best interest to connect with an experienced identity theft victim attorney with Los Angeles Legal Solutions. Our dedicated team will do everything possible to assist you through these complicated matters and we will do everything possible to help you reclaim your identity. Connect with our firm today to learn how we can fight for you.
