Fraud

What We Do

These detectives investigate crimes involving any fraudulent/financial crimes, identity theft, elderly exploitation, and contractor fraud as well as many other crimes where an act of intentional deception was designed and or used to exploit a victim.

Were You Or Someone You Know A Victim Of Fraud?

Step One: Contact your bank and other credit card issuers.

If the theft involved existing bank accounts (checking or savings accounts as well as credit or debit card) you should do the following:

• Close the account that was used fraudulently or put stop payments on all outstanding checks that might have been written without your knowledge.
• Close all credit card accounts that were used fraudulently.
• Close any account accessible by debit card if it has been accessed fraudulently.
• Open up new accounts protected with a password or personal identification number (PIN.)

If the identity theft involved the creation of new bank accounts, you should do the following:

• Call the involved financial institution and notify them of the identity theft.
• They will likely require additional notification in writing (See step 4.)

Step Two: Contact all three (3) major credit reporting bureaus.

First request the credit bureaus place a “fraud alert” on your file. A fraud alert will put a notice on your credit report that you have been the victim of identity theft. Merchants and financial institutions may opt to contact you directly before any new credit is taken out in your name. Some states allow for a Security Freeze in which a personal identification number (PIN) can be designated on your credit file and subsequently the personal identification number (PIN) must then be given in order for credit to be extended. Ask the credit reporting bureaus if your state is participating in the Security Freeze Program.

www.scamsafe.com – Provides useful information related to identity theft and indicates which states participate in the Security Freeze Program.

www.annualcreditreport.com – Provides one free credit report, per credit bureau agency, per year, with subsequent credit reports available at a nominal fee.

The following is a list of the three (3) major credit reporting bureaus for victims to report fraud.

Equifax – Consumer Fraud Division 1-800-525-6285

Transunion – Fraud Victim Assistance Department 1-800-680-7289

Experian – National Consumer Assistance 1-888-397-3742

Step Three: Contact creditors involved in the identity theft by phone and in writing.

This step involves contacting all the companies or institutions that provided credit or opened new accounts for the suspect(s.) Some examples include banks, mortgage companies, utility companies, telephone companies, cellular phone companies etc. Creditors will provide you with their identity theft or dispute affidavit to complete. You may want to provide the creditors with a copy of the FACTA law.

FACTA Law – FACTA (Fair Accurate Credit Transactions Act,) allows you to obtain copies of any/all records related to the fraudulent accounts. You are then permitted to provide law enforcement with copies of the records you received related to the fraudulent accounts. This allows law enforcement to bypass the difficult process of obtaining subpoenas for the same information.

Helpful Hints:

• Remember that each creditor has different policies and procedures for correcting fraudulent accounts.
• Do not provide originals and be sure to keep copies of everything you provide to the creditors or companies involved in the identity theft.
• Write down all dates, times and the names of individuals you speak to regarding theft and correction of your credit.
• If you are contacted by a collection agency about a debt for which you are not responsible, immediately notify them that you did not create the debt and that you are a victim of identity theft.

Step Four: File a report with the Federal Trade Commission.

You can go on-line to file an identity theft complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC,) at www.FTC.gov or call 1-877-IDTHEFT to file your report over the phone. If you choose to file on line, from the www.FTC.gov home screen, click the Consumer Protection tab and then click the File a Complaint tab. You will be asked a series of questions and the program will create an Identity Theft Victim’s Complaint and Affidavit form that you should save and print. The affidavit requests information regarding you as the victim, how the fraud occurred, documentation, and if you have reported the incident to law enforcement. Select “I have not filed a law enforcement report,” Once you file your complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, save and print the affidavit for your records. Provide a copy of that record to the officer if you choose to file a report with the Daytona Beach Police Department.

NOTE: The Federal Trade Commission is not an investigating entity, but has a national database that some investigating agencies can access to assist in investigations. This database can also detect patterns of fraud and abuse. The Federal Trade Commission does not resolve individual complaints, but they can provide information about the proper steps.

Step Five: File a report with the Daytona Beach Police Department.

• If you desire prosecution.
• You would be willing and available to appear and testify in a court should the suspect be identified and arrested.

Submit the completed Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Victim’s Complaint and Affidavit from step four (4) and copies of all information and records obtained from the creditors with regard to the fraudulent accounts to the officer completing the report.

Depending on the type of crime that you are a victim of, certain documents are going to be needed to conduct a thorough and complete investigation. The following items of evidence should be obtained by the victim. Without this documented evidence, we will not be able to complete an investigation.

If your existing accounts are being accessed, please obtain the following types of documents:

• Bank statements or bills showing where the transactions occurred.
• Please circle or underline the fraudulent transactions.
• Using a highlighter may make it impossible to read photocopies.
• Please attempt to obtain a physical address for the transactions from your bank.
•  Bills from companies showing merchandise returned.
• Letters or documentation from creditors or utilities companies that contain:
• Copies of applications for credit.
• How the account was opened (in person, over the phone, internet.)
• Where the account was opened, if done in person.
• Where the account is being used (addresses and transactions.)
• Address where any cards, bills, merchandise or correspondence was mailed.
• Any phone numbers associated with the fraudulent account.
• The name or employee number and phone number of any representatives from the businesses you deal with.

If your case involves checks, please obtain the following:

• The original check or a copy of it, if the original check is not available.
• Information as to how this check came into your possession.

If your case involves wills, trusts, and titles, please obtain:

If this complaint is about your credit report, please obtain:

If you have received a call from a bill collector/collection agency:

If only a partial account number is listed on the document, please write the entire number on the copy you provide. The entire account number is key to obtaining any further information needed for the case

DON’T BECOME A VICTIM!

• No legitimate agency, company or organization will ever ask you to pay a fine or bill with a pre-paid Visa or Mastercard, a department store gift card, an iTunes card or any other non-standard method of payment. If someone asks you for one of those options, it’s very likely a scam. Don’t do it.
• The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will never call you and ask you to make a payment. This is generally conducted via the mail or when you call them. 
• The Social Security Administration (SSA) will never call you to tell you that your social security number (SSN) has been suspended. Your SSN cannot be suspended. It is yours for life. 
• No legitimate company will ever send you a check in return for you sending money back to them.  These scammers will cancel their check once you send them your money, leaving you with a negative balance. 
• Never send intimate photos to someone you met online, no matter how real their profile appears to be. This is often a blackmail scam where they will threaten to post these images on your family and friends’ social media unless you either pay them or send them more images. 
• Never open emails you were not expecting, even though the email may appear to be legitimate. They may contain a virus or malicious software that can steal your information.  
• If an email contains a Word, Excel, PDF, or any other attachment which asks you to install a plugin or any other software to view the contents, it likely contains malicious software. You should stop the process and immediately delete the email and document.  

Never allow an unverified person or company to have remote access to your computer.  This is true even if they say that they are with Microsoft, Geek Squad or any other organization.  Once someone has remote access to your computer, they have access to everything you have ever done on that system. That can include banking information, emails, passwords, your home address, photos and pretty much anything else important in your life.

Additional Tips

• Social Security Administration: If you suspect someone is using your personal information for employment and there is no evidence of other identity fraud, please contact the Social Security Administration’s fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271. Order a copy of your personal earnings and benefit estimate statement (PEBES,) to check the accuracy of your work history on file with the Social Security Administration.
• Internal Revenue Service: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Office of Special Investigations can be contacted at www.IRS.gov to report false tax filings, potential criminal violations of the Internal Revenue Code and related financial crimes.
• Traffic or Criminal violations: If your name and/or information was used by someone else to avoid a traffic ticket or any criminal prosecution, please contact the agency investigating the original crime.
• Post Office: If you suspect that your mail has been stolen, or diverted with a false change-of-address request, please contact your local postal inspector. You can obtain the address and telephone number of the postal inspector for your area at the United States Postal Service website: http://www.usps.com or calling 1-800-275-8777
• For more information, visit http://www.identitytheft.gov