Free Identity Theft Complaint to an Attorney General

You can use this letter to complain to the AG's office if you have opted-out of a company's direct marketing list, but continue to receive calls from that company, or have discovered that the company licensed your name to an unaffiliated third party without your consent. Although your first option should be to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, the AG's office might be willing to take action.

The AG's office may require that you include proof of your identity theft incident such as photocopies of the ID Theft Affidavit, a filed Police Report, and any letters to the company requesting that action be taken about your identity theft issues.

Photocopies, not the original copies, of any relevant documents should be included with the letter. You should keep a copy of all written communications with the AG's office, and maintain a written summary of all oral communications.

Employment records are a common source of a victim's personal information by an identity thief. A company's failure to properly safeguard its employment records can provide an identity thief with the opportunity to steal the personal information of others.

Note: Prior to contacting a company (who happens to be your employer) about your personnel file, you may wish to contact a lawyer to obtain advice regarding your employment rights.

This letter can be used to make a written complaint to the office of an attorney general (AG) about a company's policies or practices for handling customer lists or other information such as personnel or legal records that may have contributed to the cause of an identity theft incident.

Note: You should first contact the company itself, and use this letter as a next step, if the company is unresponsive to you. Prior to sending this letter to the AG's office, you may wish to call first to find out if there is any specific documentation that should be submitted with your request.

1. The complaint letter should be signed, but it is not necessary that the signature be witnessed or notarized.

2. Be sure to attach any evidence of the identity theft incident, if applicable. Include copies of any letters previously sent to the company in an attempt to resolve the problem.

3. Retain a copy of the letter for your records. Keep the original copies of any enclosures, unless you are required to send the originals. If you send an original, keep a copy.

4. Although not required, sending the letter in a manner that can be tracked (e.g., overnight courier or certified mail/return receipt requested) is highly advisable. It may assist you in the event you need evidence of receipt of the letter.

5. After a reasonable amount of time has passed, follow up to make sure that any requested action was actually taken.