Information for Theft Victims

Campus Police Information for Theft Victims
The HCC Police Department regrets your loss and wishes to assist you in every way possible. We often coordinate our criminal investigations with other law enforcement agencies. If the offense took place on-campus, it is not necessary for you to also report it to another law enforcement agency.

The criminal incident you have reported to The HCC Police Department will be investigated by our officers. Normally, for such an investigation to be successful, an investigating agency needs some or all of the following elements:
• Evidence
• Witnesses or Suspects
• Serial numbers or identifying markings
• Other such information or leads

Serial numbers or identifying markings are vitally important for the possible recovery of stolen property. Stolen items with such identification are often recovered through pawn shops, police arrests or by the National Crime Information Computer. If you are not certain of the serial number of a valuable item, such information can often be found from maintenance agreements, packing boxes, from the manufacturer or seller, warranty cards or purchase agreements.

Actions to be taken
If Personal information was stolen for example from a purse, book bag or wallet you may need to take additional steps to ensure your information can not be used to commit additional crimes or you become a victim of Identity Theft.

• Banks and Credit Card: Companies should be contacted and advised that the accounts numbers were stolen. These companies will walk you through what you will need to do. You would also want to contact all three credit bureaus and place a ‘Fraud Alert’ on your bureaus. Most banks maintain a web site with phone numbers available.

• Cell Phones: Carriers should be contacted and advised that the phone has been stolen.

• ID Cards: For a University ID cards, contact the ID center to have the card canceled and a new card issued.

How to report additional information

Additional References
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
http://www.privacyrights.org/identity.htm
http://www.idtheftcenter.org/index.shtml

Last Updated: 12/20/07