What should I do first if my identity is stolen in Miami?

Report it to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov, file a police report where you live, contact the fraud department of each company where an account was opened, review your credit reports from all three bureaus, and secure your email and financial accounts. Keep a written record of every step.

Is identity theft a felony in Florida?

Yes. Under s. 817.568(2)(a), F.S., willfully and without authorization fraudulently using another person’s personal identification information without consent is a third-degree felony, and higher degrees apply depending on the amount involved or the number of victims.

Can I report identity theft in Miami-Dade if the thief used my information elsewhere?

Yes. Section 817.568(18), F.S. allows prosecution in any county where an element of the offense occurred, including the county where the victim generally resides.

Can I get the records of an account someone opened in my name?

Yes. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681g(e), a business that dealt with the impostor must provide copies of the application and transaction records within 30 days of your written request, after verifying your identity and claim, which may include a police report and an identity theft affidavit.

How does a private investigator help with identity theft?

By mapping every account and record involved, tracing the addresses, phone numbers and names used, searching public records for related damage such as companies or judgments in your name, and documenting the findings in a report for creditors, police and your attorney.

Can a private investigator get the thief’s bank records?

No. Bank and account records come through your own legal rights, your attorney by subpoena, or law enforcement. Obtaining them by pretending to be someone else is unlawful, and an investigator will not do it.

Identity Theft Investigations in Miami: What to Do & How a PI Helps

If your identity was stolen in Miami, report it to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov and to your local police, contact the companies where accounts were opened, and dispute the fraudulent entries with the credit bureaus. Those steps start the recovery. A licensed private investigator adds what they usually do not: tracing how the stolen information was used, identifying the people, addresses and accounts involved, and building a documented file that you, your attorney, creditors and prosecutors can rely on. Florida treats the fraudulent use of another person’s identifying information as a felony under s. 817.568, F.S., and federal law gives victims specific rights to records and to blocks on their credit files.

What counts as identity theft under Florida law?

Section 817.568(2)(a) makes it a third-degree felony to willfully and without authorization fraudulently use, or possess with intent to fraudulently use, another person’s personal identification information without their consent. Higher degrees apply depending on the amount involved or the number of victims. “Personal identification information” is defined broadly in s. 817.568(1)(f) and includes a name, address, email, phone number, Social Security number, date of birth, driver licence number, bank account and card numbers, and other information that can identify you or access your finances.

Several provisions matter to Miami-Dade victims:

Venue where you live. Prosecution may be brought in any county where an element of the offense occurred, including the county where the victim generally resides (s. 817.568(18)), and absent contrary evidence, the place where consent was not given is treated as the victim’s home county (s. 817.568(17)). A Miami-Dade resident can report to local law enforcement even if the thief used the information elsewhere.
Restitution can cover clean-up costs. A sentencing court may order restitution that includes attorney’s fees incurred clearing the victim’s credit history and costs of civil or administrative proceedings caused by the fraud (s. 817.568(15)(a)).
Time limits on prosecution. Prosecution generally must begin within 3 years of the offense, or within 1 year after the victim discovers it, as long as that is within 5 years of the violation (s. 817.568(19)). Reporting promptly protects that window.

What should you do in the first days?

Report to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov, the Federal Trade Commission’s site to “report identity theft and get a recovery plan.”
File a police report with the agency where you live, and get the report number.
Contact each company where an account was opened or used in your name. Ask for its fraud department, have the account closed, and request written confirmation.
Get your credit reports from the three nationwide bureaus and list every account, inquiry and address you do not recognise.
Change passwords on email, banking and phone carrier accounts, and turn on two-step verification, starting with your email, since it controls password resets elsewhere.
Keep a file of every letter, call, reference number and name, with dates.

Two federal rights worth knowing: under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a credit bureau must block information you identify as resulting from identity theft within 4 business days of receiving proof of your identity, a copy of an identity theft report, the specific items and your statement that they are not yours (15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2(a)). And a business that dealt with the impostor must, within 30 days of your written request and verification, give you copies of the application and transaction records for the fraudulent account (15 U.S.C. § 1681g(e)). Those records are often the best lead to who did it.

What does a private investigator add?

Mapping the full extent of the misuse

Victims usually discover one account and later find several more. An investigator works from your credit reports, the business records you obtain under § 1681g(e), collection letters and court notices to build a single timeline: each account, when and where it was opened, the addresses, phone numbers and emails used, and what was obtained.

Tracing the addresses, names and connections

Fraudulent applications usually contain real details the thief needed to receive cards, goods or mail: a delivery address, a phone number, an email, sometimes a vehicle. An investigator researches those through public records and lawful databases to identify who lives at or is connected to them, whether the same details appear in other fraud, and whether the person is someone you know, which is common. Our background investigations and skip tracing use the same lawful methods.

Checking public records for damage you have not seen

Identity thieves sometimes go beyond credit cards: a company registered in your name, a vehicle titled to you, a lawsuit or judgment against “you,” a lease, or an arrest where someone gave your name. An investigator searches corporate, court, property and other public records so you can address each one. If you own property in Miami-Dade, also read our article on deed fraud, a related crime that targets titles.

Documenting it for creditors, police and court

Creditors and collectors respond to organised, specific evidence. A written investigative report, with the timeline, the records reviewed and the connections found, can support your disputes, give a detective a ready-made lead, and support your attorney in a civil case against the person responsible or in defending a collection suit or judgment entered against you by mistake. The investigator can testify about the work if needed.

What can a private investigator not do?

An investigator cannot obtain someone else’s bank or account records by pretending to be the account holder, a bank employee or law enforcement. Federal law prohibits obtaining a bank customer’s information by false statements (15 U.S.C. § 6821(a)), and s. 817.568(10) itself reclassifies the offense to a higher degree when the offender misrepresents themselves as law enforcement or a bank or credit-agency employee to obtain identifying information. Records held by banks, carriers and platforms come through you (under your own rights), through your attorney by subpoena, or through law enforcement. An investigator also does not arrest anyone; the goal is to give police and prosecutors a case they can act on.

Why identify the person if the accounts are already closed?

Closing accounts stops the immediate damage, but it does not always end the problem. A person who used your identity once still has your details and may use them again, at a different bank or in a different way, such as a utility account, a lease or a traffic stop. Knowing who it is lets you and the police focus on the real source, and it matters to the people around you if the thief is a relative, roommate, employee or former partner who still has access to your mail or documents.

It also matters legally. A prosecutor needs a defendant before restitution can be ordered under s. 817.568(15). A civil claim against the person responsible requires someone to sue and serve. And when a creditor insists the debt is yours, showing who actually opened the account, with the addresses and contact details they used, is far more persuasive than a denial. An investigator’s report gives each of those conversations a factual starting point.

Identity theft or a scam?

They overlap but are different problems. Identity theft is someone using your information to open or use accounts without you. In a scam, you were persuaded to send money or information yourself. If you were tricked into paying someone, see our article on whether an investigator can help recover money lost to a scam.

What should you bring to an investigator?

Your FTC report, police report number and any detective’s contact details.
Your credit reports with unfamiliar items marked.
Letters, emails and statements from creditors and collectors, and any records businesses sent you.
Any people you suspect and why, such as someone who had access to your documents or mail.
Court papers, if a lawsuit or judgment has appeared in your name.

Miami Private Investigations is licensed in Florida under agency licence A1800135 and helps identity theft victims and their attorneys in Miami-Dade and statewide. Every case is quoted individually. Call (305) 686-7826 or contact us for a confidential consultation.