If you've fallen victim to a scam, here are some tips that can help minimize the damage. You should also review the advice from UVa's Information Security department here:

https://security.virginia.edu/identity-theft-make-sure-youre-not-victim

• Change your passwords as soon as possible (especially if any of those passwords are used for financial accounts).

  You can change your UVa passwords here:

  https://in.virginia.edu/password

  (Select the item labeled "Reset Your UVA Password".)

• If you find that any accounts have been tampered with or opened fraudulently, close them immediately. If you accidentally gave your personal information online, for example, you responded to a fraudulent email by entering your name and social security number and/or date of birth, you may want to review this FTC Consumer Protection page, among other suggestions listed on this page.

  To ensure that you do not become responsible for any debts or charges, use the FTC ID Theft Affidavit Form developed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help make your case with creditors, or call the FTC ID Theft Hotline at 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338 toll-free. You can file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.

• If you are the victim of a stolen Social Security number, the Social Security Administration (SSA) provides information on how to report the fraudulent use of your number, and how to correct your earnings record.

• It is very important that you report identity theft to your local police department, as soon as you become aware that you are a victim. Obtain a copy of the police report, which will assist you when notifying creditors, credit reporting agencies, and if necessary, the Social Security Administration.

  You can contact the UVa Police here: https://uvapolice.virginia.edu/.

• Get in touch with each of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Trans Union and Experian) and ask them to put a "lock" on your credit report. This may cost $10 or so, but its effect will be to require your approval for the subsequent release of any credit information about you. This will make it difficult for anyone to, e.g., take out loans in your name. See the link in the next item for contact information.

• Keep an eye on your credit report for the near future, looking for suspicious activity. For that, see:

  https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action

  This site also has contact information for Equifax, Trans Union and Experian.

• ITS recommends that if you think you've already given personal information to a criminal, you should contact abuse@virginia.edu.

• The US government has a page with extensive advice about how to deal with identity theft. See:

  https://identitytheft.gov/Steps

• The IRS maintains a page with advice about employment-related identity theft, including the use of a stolen W2 form to steal your tax refund:

  https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/employment-related-identity-theft

• The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) also makes several recommendations on its web page:

  http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST05-019.html

  They say:

  "To minimize the extent of the damage, take action as soon as possible:
  
  * Contact companies, including banks, where you have accounts - Inform the
  companies where you have accounts that someone may be using your identity, and
  find out if there have been any unauthorized transactions. Close accounts so
  that future charges are denied. In addition to calling the company, send a
  letter so there is a record of the problem.
  
  * Contact the main credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian,
  TransUnion) - Check your credit report to see if there has been unexpected or
  unauthorized activity. Have a fraud alerts placed on your credit reports to
  prevent new accounts being opened without verification.
  
  * File a report - File a report with the local police so there is an
  official record of the incident. You can also file a complaint with the Federal
  Trade Commission.
  
  * Consider other information that may be at risk - Depending what
  information was stolen, you may need to contact other agencies; for example, if
  a thief has access to your Social Security number, contact the Social Security
  Administration. You should also contact the Department of Motor Vehicles if
  your driver's license or car registration have been stolen."