Identity Theft Protection

FTC Investigations

How to file for a FTC Investigation

Here are some important tips on how to file for a FTC investigation, for shoppers and merchants.

The Importance of Filing a Complaint

Filing a complaint with the FTC is important for several reasons. First, the information that you enter into the ID Theft Complaint Form can be used as part of an Identity Theft Report, which is an important tool in recovering from identity theft. Read on to find out more about your rights as a victim of identity theft.

Second, when you file an ID Theft Complaint with the FTC, you can help law enforcers catch identity thieves. Your complaint is entered into the FTC’s Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse, which law enforcement officers can search as part of their criminal investigations. (The FTC, however, does not bring criminal cases.) Law enforcement officers who are members of the Clearinghouse may contact you if your case becomes part of their investigation. But it’s also a good idea to stay in touch with your local police department about their investigation, or about any recent developments in your case.

Will an investigation be opened if I file a complaint?

Although the FTC does not have the authority to bring criminal cases, your complaint will be entered into the FTC's Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse. As a result, sworn law enforcement officers, through their membership to the Clearinghouse, can search the information provided by you in the course of their criminal investigations. You will be contacted by a law enforcement agency if your case becomes part of one of their criminal investigations. As there is no guarantee, though, that your complaint will be investigated through the Clearinghouse, you should always maintain direct contact with your local police department to stay updated about the progress of your case.

Most law enforcement agencies agree that identity theft cases should be investigated aggressively. However, issues such as staff resources, caseloads, budget, and prosecutorial guidelines all affect whether or not a law enforcement agency will pursue your case. So when reporting your crime, be as accurate as possible about actual monetary loss and about any information relating to the suspect such as actual name, address, date of birth that you may know. The accuracy of this information could be the difference between having a case investigated or declined.

Ask your police department to search the FTC's Consumer Sentinel database for other complaints in your community. You may not be the first or only victim of this identity thief. If there is a pattern of cases, local authorities may give your case more consideration.

The FTC can open investigations against entities which have violated consumer protections laws which we enforce. See http://www.ftc.gov/ogc/stat3.htm. Although we do not advocate on behalf of individuals and we cannot guarantee that an investigation will be opened on the basis of your particular complaint, consumer complaints are one way in which we are able to discover law violations and to take enforcement action. For more information see http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/action.htm.

 

 

Source: FTC

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Visit our Shopping Guides and Credit Card Fraud sections for useful information.

Certifications

InfoFAQ is a Division of InfoMerchant and is a member of the Better Business BureauInfoFAQ Expert Merchant Program

FAQs with Organizations

Internships, Mentorships, and Scholarships - South Central Scholars Foundation offers a variety of programs to high school students in South Central Los Angeles.

Children's Shelter - Casa Pacifica is a center for neglected and abused children offering many services.

Molly's Fund Medical Organizer - Organize your medical history, medications, and more with Molly's

Christian Apologetics - Exclusive interview with CARM, a Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry.

FAQs with Corporations

HealthCare Finance - CareCredit offers special financing for medical procedures from Cosmetic Dentistry to LASIK Surgery.

Chauffeur Services - Exclusive interview with EmpireCLS, the worlds largest chauffeur and luxury limousine company.

Live Longer... A Science? - David H. Murdock, Chairman of the Dole Food & Longevity Institute, providing Executive Physicals, Health and Wellness Retreats, and Corporate Health

New Home Builder - Exclusive interview with Pardee Homes, a Southern California home builder.

Pearl Jewelry - Learn about quality pearls in this exclusive interview with The Pearl Outlet, Inc.

Civil Engineers - Questions answered by The Haaland Group about what makes a good civil engineer.

FAQs with Manufacturers

Takamine Guitars - Exclusive interview with Takamine, a world leader of acoustic/electric guitars.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems - AeroVironment, Inc. Nasdaq: AVAV provides small UAV aircraft for the U.S. military.

Electric Vehicle Chargers - EV Solutions™ is the largest manufacturer of electric vehicle charging stations.

Medical Safety Products and Orange Workplace Safety Products- Exclusive interview with the leading provider in healthcare safety products."

Wood Baseball Bats - Questions and Answers with Viper Bats, a wooden baseball bat manufacturer.

CD Manufacturing - Music Manufacturing Services provides CD's for the music industry and for the general public.

Baby Bassinets - Find out what characterizes a good baby bassinet in this Pet Beds exclusive interview.

Natural Women's Products - Questions and answers with Emerita.

Drum Hardware - Exclusive interview with Gibraltar Hardware the drum set hardware leader.

Challenge Coins - You are advised to keep your unit coin within arm's length at all times. QA with Unit Coins.

Modest Swimwear - This company designs and creates modest swimwear that women love.

Gretsch Drums - Exclusive interview with Gretsch Drums, known for their "beautiful sound like no other."

FAQs with Doctors

Optometry - Exclusive interview with Dr. Summy To Portland's Neighborhood Optometrist.

Cosmetic Dentistry - Exclusive interview with Dr. Moller of New Image Cosmetic and Family Dentistry.

FAQs with Merchants

Southern California Wedding - Prestine country club setting in Southern California with spectacular views. Exclusive interview with Sherwood Country Club.

Israel Biblical Tours - This travel company has archaeologists and scholars to guide you through the Holy Land. They also offer Christian Tours to Israel.

Church Banners - Exclusive interview with Amplify Designs, the leading manufacturer of Church banners.

Counterfeit Handbags - "The World Customs Organization estimates the trade in fakes at about 7 percent of world trade."

Carpet Cleaning Tips - "Always ask about referrals and if they have a list of what they do to prepare your carpets for cleaning, and what type of system do they use..." QA with Sunset Carpet Cleaning

Shopping for Purses "Whats happening now at a great speed is manufacturers overseas will see the latest it bag and then duplicate the bag... Price is primarily why people would buy a knock-off purse as opposed to the real thing.." Kitsch Purses Q & A

Workers' Compensation Info "The huge benefit of the Internet is time and expense savings. The only other way to get all of this information other than the Internet is at your local law library." FAQ with WorkCompCentral

Eating Disorder Treatment - In this FAQ Monte Nido explains how you can find the right treatment center online.

USMS Merchant Services - USMS explains their suite of merchant services.

Diabetes Testing Supplies - Exclusive interview with ADS, a nationally accredited pharmacy that delivers diabetes supplies right to your home.

Making Luxury Affordable - Venue is a company who provides a unique way for consumers to finance luxury items.

Costa Rica Inn - Exclusive interview with The Necochea Inn.

Fur Blankets - Exclusive interview with Trailside Traditions, a distributor of organic fur products.

Moving Companies - Exclusive interview with Thunder Movers.

Metal Vents - Questions and answers concerning home ventilation with Luxury Metals.

Translation Services - Questions answered by Global Arena.

Website Management System - Exclusive interview with Viadesto, a leading CMS site provider for schools.

Modest Sexy Dresses - This company designs high quality sexy yet modest dresses, skirts and swimwear.

Raw Food Benefits - What are some of the great benefits of eationg raw foods? Find out in this exclusive interview with SunCafe in Los Angeles.

Emergency Food Storage - This company explains why certain foods are better for long term food storage.

Parenting Online Organizer - Wendy Bellissimo's Nesting site provides parenting advice and organization.

Broadcast Fax - This QA with WestFax reveals how fax broadcast services are different from e-mail and postal mail.

Limousine Services - Exclusive interview with be transported Limousine Services.

Kids Learning - Exclusive interview with ABC Mouse, a leading provider of educational games, phonics, and learning activities for kids.

Miami's Luxury Real Estate - Is it really harder to sell a luxury home?

Exhibit Rentals - Learn how to rent your exhibits with Expo Marketing.

More

Latest Interviews . . .

South Central Scholars - southcentralscholars.org
Molly's Fund - mollysfund.org
EV Solutions - evsolutions.com
Gibraltar Hardware - gibraltarhardware.com
EmpireCLS - empirecls.com
Venue- venue.com
New Image Dentistry - beautiful-smiles.net
Ovation Guitars - ovationguitars.com
Advanced Diabetes Supply - northcoastmed.com
CHLI - chli.com
Four Seasons - fourseasons.com
Gretsch Drums - gretschdrums.com
Systematic Art- systematicart.com
Nesting - nesting.com
HomeTips - hometips.com
CareCredit - carecredit.com
Dr. Summy To - pdxeyes.com
Aerovironment - avinc.com
Kaman Music Corp - kamanmusic.com
Tennis Traders - tennistraders.com
Sherwood Country Club - sherwoodcountryclub.com
Diviine Modestee - diviinemodestee.com
Sandel Medical - sandelmedical.com
HVAC Express - hvacexpress.com
Amplify Designs - amplifydesigns.com
US Merchant Systems - usms.com
The Bear Mill - thebearmill.com
SOEX - soexgroup.com
Thunder Movers - thundermovers.com
Haaland Group - haalandgroup.com
Emerita - emerita.com
Peter Corvallis - petercorvallis.com
Luxury Metals - luxurymetals.com
The Pearl Outlet - thepearloutlet.com
SunCafe - suncafe.com
Unit Coins - unitcoins.us
Trailside Traditions - trailsidetraditions.com
WestFax - westfax.com
Viper Bats - viperbats.com
Artis Metals - artiscaps.com
Sweet Innocence Dresses - modestdresses.com
Everyday Food Storage - 1stopfoodstorage.com
Viadesto - viadesto.com
Be Transported - betransported.com
CARM - carm.org
ABC Mouse - abcmouse.com
Expo Marketing - expomarketing.com
Miami Property Pro - miamipropertypro.com
Calgary Psychologists - calgarypsychologists.com
Global Arena - globalarena.com
Takamine - takamine.com
Pardee Homes - pardeehomes.com
Casa Pacifica - casapacifica.org

More

Latest Articles . . .

Planes Without Pilots Imagine a 3 1/2 foot remote controlled plane that flies straight up for miles.

Eating Disorder Help For those dealing with eating disorders, hope is never too far behind.

Mass CD Duplication. All of the sudden record labels began relying heavily on CD manufacturers for the mass production of their clients' albums.

Corporate Entertainment Corporate meetings are becoming more common in spas than conference rooms, with room service cuisine rather than with fast food from drive-thrus.

Medical Procedure Costs Find out the current costs for various medical procedures.

Baby Bedding Becomes Security Blanket New baby bedding developments have completely changed the newborn napping experience.

A Good Singles Strategy Helps tennis competitors with a simple one-on-one strategy checklist.

The Price is Always Right
Medical Organizations

News...

Serrahost Launches PSDirectory
A fast-growing directory of ProStores Web stores.

CareCredit Doctor Locator
GEMoney offers special financing options through their searchable network of over 100,000 doctors nationwide.

Merchant Compliance
Database of compliant merchants following security standards.

Costopedia
Find the average cost for some of the more difficult to find products and services.

Ask a Merchant
Portland merchant directory and portal.

My Little Phonebook
Northern Oregon Coast Online Yellow Pages.

ML Properties
Michelle Manley Orange County based realtor launches new site for prospective home buyers

Shopping Online


About Our Editors...

InfoFAQ Editorial Staff
The InfoFAQ editorial staff are qualified professionals who are experienced at researching the Internet for relevant information about merchants, their products, their services, and their industries. The staff is trained to be objective, concise, and informative, helping consumers understand the importance of merchant compliance, consumer safety, privacy, security, fraud protection, and truthful information when shopping on the Internet.