Place a "Fraud Alert" on your credit report.

Contact Experian, Equifax, TransUnion and notify them that you are a victim. Ask that they place a "fraud alert" on your credit report and that they contact you personally prior to the opening of any new accounts. Order a copy of your credit report and make sure that no additional fraudulent activity has occurred.

Dispute and close all fraudulent accounts.

Request the company to send you the required forms for disputing fraudulent activity. Make sure the company will accept the Federal Trade Commission's "ID Theft Affidavit." Once all of the fraudulent activity has been disputed, close all fraudulent accounts.

The Fair Credit Billing Act has established procedures for resolving errors or fraudulent charges on your credit cards. To take advantage of this law, you must write to the creditor at the address given for "billing inquiries," not the address for sending your payments, and include your name, address, account number and a description of the billing error. Send your letter so that it reaches the creditor within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was mailed to you. Send your letter by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you have proof of what the creditor received. Include copies (not originals) of sales slips or other documents that support your position. Keep a copy of your dispute letter.

The creditor must acknowledge your complaint in writing within 30 days after receiving it, unless the problem has been resolved. The creditor must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles (but not more than 90 days) after receiving your letter.

For an example of the letter: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fcb.shtm

Place alerts on unaffected accounts.

To make certain no additional accounts are compromised, contact your creditors and notify them that you would like to be notified before any changes are authorized to be made to your account.

Contact collection agencies.

Occasionally, your first notification that you are a victim of a financial crime is from a collection agency. Contact them directly for directions on how to dispute the claims.

Contact all agencies who have issued you photo identification.

Additionally, if your driver's license is stolen, immediately contact your states issuing agency. Most states will issue you a new license and number. To view a complete list of driver's license information by state, visit www.dmv.org.

For anyone who has had a passport stolen, the U.S. Department of State has information on their web-site devoted to reporting a lost or stolen passport. This information is entered into a database where the stolen passports are invalidated and can no longer be used.

File a report with your local police department.

Gather all pertinent information related to your fraud and report it to your local police. The Federal Trade Commission advises you to be persistent in filing this report. Your local jurisdiction may advise you that they can't take a report, however a resolution by the International Association of Chiefs of Police has made a victim's hometown police department the standard reporting agency for identity theft.

A report with your local police is vital because many creditors require one to assist in disputing the fraud. Many times when this is done, credit bureaus will automatically block the fraudulent accounts and charges from appearing on your credit report. If you are unable to get the local police to file a report, attempt to do so with the county or state police in your area.

File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the federal clearinghouse for complaints by victims of identity theft. Although the FTC does not have the authority to bring criminal cases, the Commission assists victims of identity theft by providing them with information to help them resolve the financial and other problems that can result from identity theft. The FTC also may refer victim complaints to other appropriate government agencies and private organizations for further action.

If you have been a victim of identity theft, you can file a complaint with the FTC by contacting the FTC's Consumer Response Center toll free at 1-877-FTC-HELP or click here to file an online complaint with the FTC.

Prepare your plan of attack.

Recovering from a financial crime is a very tedious and time consuming process. It requires one to be extremely organized and detailed when it comes to record keeping. Document all details pertaining to any contact you have with individuals on the phone or internet. Also, remember to keep copies of any and all correspondence related to the process.

Be sure to provide all required information as requested by any contacts you have made. If mailed, it advised that it is sent certified mail with return receipt requested. Due to the fact you could experience ongoing problems in the future, file all documents and records in a way that allows immediate and easy access.