Sample Letters

To help you resolve your identity theft, we have letters for you to use.

Credit cards

First, call your credit card company to get charges reversed. If that doesn’t work, use this letter:

• Dispute Credit Card Charges

Debit cards

First, call your debit card company to get charges reversed. If that doesn’t work, use this letter:

• Dispute ATM/Debit Card Transactions

All other types of accounts

If you have an FTC Identity Theft Report:

Credit bureaus must honour your request to remove fraudulent information from your credit report. This is called blocking. Once information is blocked, companies can’t report the debt or try to collect it from you.

• Send this letter to each of the 3 Credit Bureaus:
  • Identity Theft Letter to a Credit Bureau
• If someone opened a new account in your name, send this letter to the company:
  • Identity Theft Dispute Letter to a Company (for a new account)
• If someone misused one of your existing accounts, send this letter to the company:
  • Identity Theft Dispute Letter to a Company (for an existing account)

If you do NOT have an FTC Identity Theft Report:

You can still dispute incorrect information in your credit file. It can take longer, and there’s no guarantee that the credit bureaus will remove the information.

• Send this letter to each of the 3 Credit Bureaus:
  • Dispute Letter to a Credit Bureau
• If someone opened a new account in your name, send this letter to the company:
  • Dispute Letter to a Company (for a new account)
• If someone misused one of your existing accounts, send this letter to the company:
  • Dispute Letter to a Company (for an existing account)

Getting records about identity theft

By law, you can get copies of the business records relating to identity theft (like signatures, receipts, etc). Use this letter:

• Getting Business Records Relating to Identity Theft

Dealing with Debt Collectors

If you’re being contacted about a debt you don’t owe, use this letter:

• Stop Debt Collectors from Trying to Collect Debts You Don’t Owe

To include with your letters

Some of the sample letters include a list of items that you should include in your letter.

If needed, you can print out any of these documents to include with your letter:

• Fair Credit Reporting Act Section 605B [PDF]
• Fair Credit Reporting Act Section 609(e) [PDF]
• Fair Credit Reporting Act Section 611 [PDF]
• Notice to Furnishers of Information [PDF]

How to know you are a victim of Identity Theft in Canada?