Identity theft is a general term to describe crimes that occur when a person poses as another person or business to commit crimes. The crimes range from the simple fraudulent use of a stolen credit cards or checks to false impersonation of another, in which the criminal completely assumes the identity of another.

If you have been the victim of an Identity Theft. There are two things you need to do immediately. The first two can be done while you are waiting to make your report.

1. Protect yourself from further victimization! (Click Here)

2. Help the police identify who is using your identity! (Click Here)

3. Make a police report through your local agency. Fresno PD phone number is (559) 621-7000. They will initiate a call for service and send someone to your location or have someone call you.

If you live out of Fresno, but the crime or fraudulent transactions are occurring in the City of Fresno, you may make a report with your local agency. They will forward your report and supporting documents to us.

4. We need evidence to support the criminal activity. Get copies of statements, letters, etc to prove the crime occurred. Send those copies to the police department. Address the information to the Fresno Police Department, Financial Crimes Unit, 2323 Mariposa, Fresno, CA. 93721.

• We cannot tell what is fraudulent or accurate, but you can. Be sure to asterisk * or mark the fraudulent activity. Attaching an explanation is a good idea. If we have to assume anything, we may get it wrong.
• If you have canceled checks from the bank, and they have fingerprints on them, we need the original checks.

5. Report your crime to the National Database. The Federal Trade Commission maintains a national database to track ID theft related crimes. More importantly, they research this database to look for crime patterns. Click Here to report these crimes.

6. If the Internet or computer was used to facilitate any crime, please report the crime to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. This database is operated by the FBI. They will also provide crime pattern information to local agencies. If the crime is part of a nationwide pattern, the FBI can choose to investigate the crime. Report your internet crime Here.

The Federal Trade Commission provides up-to-date information about Identity theft. www.ftc.gov

Other web resources:
Identity Theft Center      www.idtheftcenter.org
California Department of Consumer Affairs     www.dca.ca.gov
Internet Crime Complaint Center      www.ic3.gov
Credit Report for free copy     www.annualcreditreport.com
Internet scams, fraud information      www.antiphishing.org
Privacy rights information      www.privacyrights.org
Tips to avoid ID Theft, how to protect your computer, and privacy information      www.onguardonline.gov
Consumer fraud      www.corp.ca.gov
Craig’s List Scams      www.craigscrimelist.org

Important Phone Numbers
          Fresno Police Dispatch 559 621-7000
          Financial Crimes Advocate 559 621-6335
The Financial Crimes Advocates provide General Information about Identity theft to help you stop the victimization. They can help with general information, such as, Is my case assigned to a detective?” and they give advice. They do not write the original report or followup reports. If you have not made a report yet, or need to provide additional information for your report, contact the dispatcher and they will have a report taker contact you.