Mississippi Identity Theft Lawyer

Identity theft can happen to anyone, and it can have catastrophic consequences in many areas of your life. Without proper control over your financial identity, you could be unable to retain a bank account, be forced to deal with thousands of dollars in debt that isn’t yours, and even find yourself facing collection suits and criminal charges for something you never did.

Fortunately, you have the right to dispute inaccuracies on your credit reports and to have fraudulent activities removed. Taking these steps could be essential to preserving and protecting your financial health.

Unfortunately, sending a dispute letter to the credit reporting agencies and creditors will not always clear up the situation. In a situation where more is necessary, a Mississippi identify theft lawyer may be able to help you dispute credit report errors that are the result of identity theft.

Advocating for victims of identity theft is a core practice area for Schlanger Law Group, LLP, and we regularly litigate against the credit bureaus, as wells as banks, finance companies, collection companies, and loan servicers to get our clients’ credit reports corrected and to force these companies to pay for the harm they have done.

Identity Theft and Financial Health

If a person can fraudulently obtain someone else’s birthdate, Social Security number, and address or addresses, they may be able to open a credit card, apply for a loan, or even ask for a mortgage for a house in someone else’s name, potentially leaving the defrauded party with extensive debt, a ruined credit score, and various other losses.

Identity theft is a crime according to Mississippi Code §97-19-85, and may be prosecuted as a felony. However, a criminal proceeding is not focused on fixing victims’ credit scores or on zeroing out any new “debts” the thief may have incurred in the victims’ names. Fortunately, working with a Mississippi identity theft attorney could help set things right and protect your financial future.

Options for the Victims of Identify Theft

Setting a person’s life back to normal following an incident of identity theft is a multi-stage process. One important step to take early on is reporting the incident to the police, so a local prosecutor can investigate and, hopefully, seek to punish any guilty parties that they can identify.

While this may not result in any direct financial benefit to a claimant, a conviction for identity theft in criminal court can be powerful evidence in favor of the theft victim in any ensuing civil claim for reimbursement. Even where no criminal case is prosecuted (which is often the case), the filing of a police report is important evidence of the victim taking steps to address the situation.

In addition, the Federal Trade Commission offers a standard form affidavit for use by victims of identity theft. An FTC identity theft affidavit can be an essential part of a victims’ credit reporting dispute and can often persuade creditors not to pursue the victim and/or to stop reporting the debt. And where these steps don’t resolve the issue, an identity theft lawyer in Mississippi can use the affidavit as evidence that the credit bureaus and furnishers of credit information were put on notice and nonetheless failed to investigate and resolve the matter adequately.

Reach out to a Mississippi Identity Theft Attorney Today

Identity theft can leave victims with hundreds or thousands of dollars in credit card debt, and new loans could be wrongfully taken out in the victims’ names. Particularly where creditors have brought suit against the victim regarding the debts incurred by the identity thief, or where large loans or real property are involved, hiring a Mississippi identity theft lawyer from our firm can be the most effective way to deal with these fraudulent transactions.

In sum, when other parties take advantage of this data to open credit cards, ask for loans, or access bank accounts, they commit identity theft. While there is a lot that victims can do on their own, at various critical points of the process it may make sense to retain a lawyer with experience handling identity theft to limit the damage and set things right.

Schlanger Law Group LLP – with offices in New York City and Jackson, Mississippi – deals with identity theft issues every day, working tirelessly on behalf of victims of identity theft. We have deep experience in credit reporting and consumer protection issues, extensive knowledge of the relevant federal and state consumer protection laws, and compassion and understanding for victims. Call today to schedule an appointment.