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“When you overhear from a Parkland doctor, ‘If I ever have a heart attack I hope I’m in Farmers Branch when it happens,’ you know you’re in capable hands with the FB Fire Department. Our Police Department is equally effective and highly visible. We have the deepest appreciation for the dedicated professionals we have looking out for us every hour of every day.”

– Ellen Toliver
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Identity Theft: What's It All About?

What to do if you are the victim of identity theft:

  1. Contact the Farmers Branch Police Department to file a report. A police report is critical in helping victims clear fraudulent debts and restore personal credit reports.
  2. Call the toll-free fraud number of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit report. Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening additional accounts in victims’ names. As soon as the credit bureau confirms the fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will automatically be notified to place fraud alerts, and all three credit reports will be sent to the victim free of charge.
  1. Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. When disputing new unauthorized accounts, many banks and creditors will accept the ID Theft Affidavit (PDF 240KB) (provided by the Federal Trade Commission), which will save valuable time in the recovery process.
  2. File a complaint with the FTC or call 877.ID.THEFT (877.438.4338). Consumer complaints help make the database a better resource for law enforcement officers.
  3. Download a copy of  Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft, which tells victims how to minimize the risk of and recover from identity theft.