What to do if someone fraudulently applies for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan in your name

The Small Business Administration and Federal Trade Commission are offering tips for individuals who received a bill for a loan from the administration when they did not apply for one.

The FTC warns identity thieves could have applied for Economic Injury Disaster Loans using others' personal or business information. Below is guidance for reporting the fraud and clearing up credit problems it may cause.

If dentists or their practices are billed for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan they do not owe, the FTC urges them to report the problem right away to the Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance and follow its guidance on what to do, including providing the following documents to the administration: a copy of an identity theft report filed with the FTC or a law enforcement agency, a copy of their photo ID issued by a federal or state agency, and a completed and signed declaration of identity theft form.

While the Small Business Administration processes the identity theft report, dentists may still receive monthly invoices, which they are advised to keep until it has finished reviewing their report.

If dentists run into other problems caused by the misuse of their personal information, the FTC suggests they visit IdentityTheft.gov/steps, which will guide them through placing a free, one-year fraud alert on their credit, checking their free credit reports for other accounts they did not open, closing fraudulent accounts opened in their name, and adding a free extended fraud alert or credit freeze to their credit report.

The FTC recommends dentists report all instances of fraudulent accounts they find, including the Small Business Administration loan, at IdentityTheft.gov and use the identity theft report they receive to clear fraudulent information from their credit reports. Identity theft could affect their personal credit, so they should keep an eye on what's in their credit report by checking it regularly, according to the FTC. They can visit annualcreditreport.com to get a free credit report every year from each of the three national credit agencies.