Free Letter to Report an Identity Theft to the FBI

The FBI will require that you provide documents verifying your identity and that you be able to verify your current address and other information. Therefore, you should contact the FBI to determine what additional information, if any, may be required.

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 FBI and maintain a written summary of all oral communications.

There are additional options if your identity theft incident involved the internet. The FBI has established an Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) to handle internet fraud issues. To file an internet fraud complaint, a claimant must complete the IFCC complaint form online.

You will need to provide the following information:

• Your name, address and telephone number.
  
• If known, the name, address and telephone number of the individual or organization that you believe defrauded you.
  
• Specific details on how, why and when you believe you were defrauded.
  
• Any other relevant information that you believe is necessary to support your complaint.

After conducting an initial review of your complaint, the FBI will likely refer the matter to an appropriate local, state, or federal agency. The agency will then assign your complaint to an investigator. The IFCC asks that you provide a phone number in case the investigator needs to contact you to ask questions or obtain additional information.

The IFCC will confirm receipt of your complaint form by sending an email to you that contains a full copy of the complaint filed. You will also be given a complaint number that can be used as a reference. You can use the complaint number to report further information or to check on the status of the investigation. As you can see, if your identity theft incident involved only the fraudulent use of the internet, and if you file an online complaint at the IFCC, then it is probably not necessary to use the letter as a follow-up step.

The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act makes it a violation of federal law to steal or misuse someone's personal identifying information. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) encourages the public to report any suspected violations of U.S. federal law. Therefore, if you have been the victim of an identity theft incident, you should contact the FBI field office that is located nearest you. For a complete list of FBI field offices, visit the FBI's web site.

After you have made an initial contact with your local FBI field office, you can then send this letter as a follow-up. With the letter you can send documents verifying the identity theft incident and request that an investigation be conducted. The letter will also insure that the FBI has all of the necessary contact information.

If your theft incident involved the use of the internet, you can also file a complaint online at the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC).

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

2. Retain a copy of the letter for your records.

3. Send copies of the identity theft documents that you specified in the letter. It is advisable to send only copies; you should retain the originals. However, if you are required to send an original copy of a document, be sure to keep a copy. If you filed an online fraud complaint form with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, it is recommended that you enclose a copy of that form with your letter.

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.