IDENTITY THEFT ATTORNEY
An Alliance that Helps Protect Identity Theft Victims
Identity theft is a growing concern throughout the country. Clever identity thieves can:
- Steal your personal information,
- Destroy your credit rating,
- Ruin your chances of qualifying for a mortgage or vehicle financing,
- Create a debt collection nightmare, and
- Empty your bank accounts.
An experienced identity theft attorney can help repair your credit history, recover stolen money, and restore peace of mind when creditors and credit reporting agencies won’t help.
Identity Theft is a Common Problem
More than 50 million US consumers have been victimized by identity thieves. And more than 60% of those victims were dissatisfied with the resolutions offered by financial institutions and credit bureaus.
Innocent consumers often spend extensive time and money trying to recover from identity theft and salvage their hard-earned credit history, only to find frustration at the end of the road. There is good news, however. Several federal laws protect identity theft victims, but these legal cases are complicated. And most attorneys do not have the experience or knowledge to successfully litigate ID theft cases.
When you have reached a dead-end, or the big companies are ignoring your disputes, Schlanger Law Group LLP and Bienstock PLLC offer compassionate yet aggressive legal assistance. Depending on your situation, they may accept your case on a contingency basis and request payment of your attorney’s fees and costs from those who violated the law.
What is Identity Theft, and Can it Happen to You?
If someone steals your personal information and uses it for their own gain, you are a victim of identity theft. Once a thief has your details, they may:
- Apply for a loan or open a line of credit in your name,
- Make purchases on your credit card,
- Apply for credit cards under your name,
- Open new bank accounts,
- Access your financial accounts online or by ATM and withdraw your money, or
- Steal your tax refund, unemployment payments, or medical benefits among many other schemes.
Identity thieves can strike in a variety of ways including using card skimmers on ATMs and pay-at-the-pump gas stations, physically stealing your debit card, or taking documents from your garbage or mailbox. Also, companies may experience data breaches that expose thousands of customers’ sensitive data to hackers. While there are some steps you can take to protect yourself, ID theft can happen to anyone.
If you suspect an identity thief has stolen your personal information you should report the issue to the companies involved and contact an identity theft attorney at Maryland Fair Credit Lawyer.com if your situation is not repaired. You can reach us at (914) 729-0961 or by filling out this simple form .
Careful Monitoring Leads to Early Theft Detection and Reduced Losses
The key to minimizing your losses is discovering identity theft as soon as possible. Whether you conduct all financial transactions online, prefer using paper checks and snail mail, or a combination of technology and old-school options, there are ways to detect a problem sooner rather than later.
Consider taking these steps to protect your financial future from hackers, scammers, and ID thieves:
- Regularly review your three major credit reports from Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. You can order a free report every year from each credit reporting agency at Annualcreditreport.com.
- Carefully inspect your credit card and bank statements each month to check for unfamiliar transactions, deposits, withdrawals, and charges.
- Be extremely careful with online and mobile purchases, banking transactions, peer-to-peer payments, and other situations where your personal information and financial accounts are at risk.
- Exercise caution when dealing with someone who requests your personal information, account numbers, PIN, or Social Security number over the phone. Never give this information to a stranger who contacts you by phone, email, or text.
- Never use public Wi-Fi when making purchases, banking, or disclosing personal financial information. Be sure your phone, computer, or other electronic devices are secured by strong passwords, fingerprint or facial identification security, or other methods of protection.
If you find anything suspicious, act immediately.
Recovering From Identity Theft Can Take Time
Depending on your circumstances, different laws may protect you. Regardless of which law(s) you’re dealing with, you should take action as soon as possible. In general, if you suspect identity theft you should:
- Contact the creditor, bank, vendor, and any other party that may be affected by the problem. If possible, call or send an email immediately and quickly follow up in writing. The sooner you dispute a transaction, the more protection you will have. Request an investigation and refund if appropriate.
- Gather all documents that may help you prove the ID theft and support your dispute of the transaction in question. Send copies of these documents along with your written dispute/notification and keep copies of everything you send for future reference.
- Mail your written notice by certified mail to ensure it arrives and to know when the recipient receives the notice. If you speak to someone by phone or online, keep track of that person’s name, when you spoke, and what was discussed.
- Contact the credit reporting agencies to notify them about inaccurate information resulting from ID theft and request that information be blocked from your report. Your report may need to be corrected as well.
When Should You Contact Maryland Fair Credit Lawyer.com?
Unfortunately, even if you do everything you are supposed to do under the law, your ID theft situation may not be resolved to your satisfaction. Again, depending on your specific situation, you may need to take further action to protect your rights. This is the time to contact the two leading identity theft law firms protecting consumers at Maryland Fair Credit Lawyer.com.
If you are an ID theft victim and you have disputed your financial situation with the necessary people but still have not resolved the problem, it’s time to reach out to an identity theft lawyer. During a free case consultation, an attorney at one of the two law firms will listen to your story and explain how they can help.
Call (914) 729-0961 or click below to schedule your no-obligation conference today.
Maryland Fair Credit Lawyer.com serves clients in Maryland, Washington D.C., New Jersey, New York, and throughout the United States with consumer protection, class action, credit reporting, and identity theft issues.