Free Identity Theft Complaint to the Better Business Bureau

The BBB may have questions about your request. For example, there may be a question about the legitimacy of your claim, your authority to make the request, or a question about some other detail. Therefore, you should include information about how you would like to be contacted.

You can use this letter to complain to the BBB 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 BBB might be willing to take action.

The BBB 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 BBB, 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.

Please note that the BBB may not be willing to respond if your issue is viewed as primarily an employment issue.

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.

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.