The old axiom better safe then sorry does seem to apply. Firstly do you really want to try to resolve a situation after the fact when it is going to cost you a lot of time, money, and heartache. Banks and other corporations are beauracracies, and that means they resolve problems at a snails pace. That can mean dozens of hours on phones, and in meetings. You may have to hire a third party to resolve the issues for you. Secondly it isn't necessarily assured that those institutions are going to side with you. They can find that you are libel for the charges. They are not going to take your word that the charge is erroneous. They are going to want proof.
I have a coworker that had his identity stolen, and had his credit card information stolen. He had insurmountable proof that it wasn't him in both cases. He was residing, working, and on record as being at work at the time of these acts. Over a thousand miles away. In a nutshell no possible way he could or should have been held responsible. They even caught, tried, and convicted the perpetrator. Guess what my coworker has had his wages garnished, still has a criminal record over this, and has had his credit trashed. After dozens of hours, and hundreds of miles of leg work. He decided to hire a law firm to solve his problem. They had no more luck then he had eventually telling him that he would have to spend over twenty thousand dollars to litigate it at a federal level.
He is still fighting it of coarse. Except now the government, and financial institutions involved have taken the money. Yes life isn't fair, and frankly neither is the system. Don't place your faith in the system working for you. They do not have to see it your way if they do not want to. So if you had information with them it is probably the best thing to do to protect yourself. Before say six months from now you find out someone has destroyed you. Really is thirty minutes on a phone that bad, or twenty dollars a month for identity security. No it isn't at all.
