Ok, pressing charges is a concept that has been overblown by the media. Technically, there are only a few number of crimes for which the government needs your permission to prosecute someone for. You can, of course, decide whether or not to report the crime. If you don’t, it probably won’t get prosecuted. You can also choose to not co-operate which could hamper prosecution.
Some crimes (not the big felonies) come with a Statute of Limitations which defines how long is allowed to pass between when the crime occurs and when charges may be filed. This varies from state to state. Lesser crimes have shorter periods. How long in your state depends on where identity theft ranks. Many states have been bumping it up the chain lately because it is becoming such a problem.
The longer you wait, the harder it may be to prosecute because records may only be preserved for so long (it’s common to keep records for a certain period of time, say 90 days before writing back over them if nothing comes up. It is probably longer for financial records.)
If you are asking because you just found out, report it now, and let the authorities worry about if it is still fresh enough. If you are asking because you aren’t sure you want to report it, then you want to keep in mind that sooner makes it more prosecutable. More importantly, if you report things sooner it makes it easier to clean your credit and more likely to have things resolved in your favor.
Actual time SERIOUSLY .01 SECONDS! GO GET THEM! And GOOD LUCK!
Depends on the statute of limitations in your state/province/etc. I think most common is 3-5 years.
Ok, pressing charges is a concept that has been overblown by the media. Technically, there are only a few number of crimes for which the government needs your permission to prosecute someone for. You can, of course, decide whether or not to report the crime. If you don’t, it probably won’t get prosecuted. You can also choose to not co-operate which could hamper prosecution.
Some crimes (not the big felonies) come with a Statute of Limitations which defines how long is allowed to pass between when the crime occurs and when charges may be filed. This varies from state to state. Lesser crimes have shorter periods. How long in your state depends on where identity theft ranks. Many states have been bumping it up the chain lately because it is becoming such a problem.
The longer you wait, the harder it may be to prosecute because records may only be preserved for so long (it’s common to keep records for a certain period of time, say 90 days before writing back over them if nothing comes up. It is probably longer for financial records.)
If you are asking because you just found out, report it now, and let the authorities worry about if it is still fresh enough. If you are asking because you aren’t sure you want to report it, then you want to keep in mind that sooner makes it more prosecutable. More importantly, if you report things sooner it makes it easier to clean your credit and more likely to have things resolved in your favor.