Yet more paperwork

I thought I was done with the paperwork. I submitted the federal ID Theft Affidavit to all three creditors, and I"ll be mailing copies (shortly) to each of the credit agencies to support the disputes I filed with each of them. One of the creditors also required an additional form. Then I learned that the state Attorney General has a separate identity theft office and investigator that requires even MORE paperwork. They need their own copy of the federal ID Theft Affidavit (notarized, of course) and they have their own form for me to fill out, AND they want copies of my credit report and any and all communications from the creditors. It's all the same information, over and over again, just organized differently. In my case (I confirmed this with the investigator's assistant when we spoke), it is the state's jurisdiction/responsibility since all the activity has been limited to the same metro area in their state, even though I don't live there anymore.

The discovery of the ID Theft component of the Attorney General's office also presented a frustration. They have a hotline. This hotline is the ONLY number listed on the website to call if you're a victim ID theft. It's a 1-800 number. But there's a catch. The number only works if you're calling from inside the state. No joke. So if you're the victim of ID theft that happens to fall under their jurisdiction and not calling from inside the state itself, you have to figure out how to contact them. I ended up calling the number listed for setting up an education program and got routed to an operator, who gave me (at my request) a non-1-800 number I can call in the future before she transferred me to the proper office. Why this non-1-800 number isn't listed anywhere on the webpage I don't know.

Why can't they make things easier for those of us that are victims? Why does everything to do with defending myself and proving my identity have to be so damn complicated and difficult? It gets discouraging to do the same damn thing over and over again and not see any results. It will still be a month before I can expect any resolution from the creditors regarding the accounts or the credit agencies regarding my credit report. And yet I'm still filing paperwork.