Identity theft affidavit is an instrument that helps victims of identity theft bring back their good names that have been brought into disrepute by identity thieves. The identity theft affidavit was developed by the Federal Trade commission.The identity theft affidavit has been designed in a way that makes it easy for victims of identity theft to report their predicament to various companies where their names were used to commit identity theft. Companies can easily be brought to notice about an account that was opened on behalf of a victim. Initially victims of identity theft had to fill out separate forms to be submitted to each company making the process very tedious.

The identity theft affidavit has been developed in consultation with various banks, consumer advocates and credit grantors. It is thus widely accepted among retailers, issuers of credit, and financial institutions that are not necessarily banks. Identity theft is one of the most common consumer frauds. It is the most widely reported fraud to the federal trade commission. Identity thieves normally obtain personal information of an identity theft victim, most specifically the credit card number. They then use the information obtained to open an account in the victims name and then use it to trade.

Consumers need not worry from now on, because the identity theft affidavit will make it easy for an individual who has suffered from identity theft to get quick redress. If you are a victim of identity theft it is important to report your case to the relevant bureaus, so that no further credit is incurred on your name with your approval. It is important to close the accounts that have been used by identity thieves to fraudulently trade in your name. Contact the security department of the relevant organizations if you are a victim. The passwords that you use in your credit accounts should be hard to crack. Make your passwords long enough and ensure that it is not only made up of words; insert some numbers too.

It is important to let the local police department be aware of the identity theft. In case of banks or other financial institutions you should file a report with them. The report should include your credit card number. Other than this, there is a toll free line where you can be offered psychological counseling to help you deal with the effects of identity theft on you. Sharing out information about identity theft with the relevant institutions is important, because it enables the authorities to track down the identity thieves and prevents them from committing other frauds. The books that can help an individual know what to do have been published in various languages to ensure the information reaches as many people as possible.