If you are a victim of identity theft, take the
following four steps as soon as possible, and
keep records of your conversations and copies
of all correspondence. You also should get a
copy of the FTC publication, Take Charge: Fighting
Back Against Identity Theft, a comprehensive
guide that describes what to do, your legal
rights, how to handle specific problems you
may encounter on the way to clearing your
name, and what to watch for in the future.
The guide also includes the ID Theft Affidavit
to help you report information to many
companies. For more information, see
www.consumer.gov/idtheft.
1. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports,
and review your credit reports.
Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief
from opening any more accounts in your name.
Contact the toll-free fraud number of any
of the three consumer reporting companies
below to place a fraud alert on your credit
report. You need to contact only one of the
three companies to place an alert. The
company you call is required to contact the
other two, which will place an alert on their
versions of your report, too.
- Equifax: 1-800-525-6285;
www.equifax.com;
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
- Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742);
www.experian.com;
P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289;
www.transunion.com;
Fraud Victim Assistance Division,
P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
Once you place the fraud alert in your file,
you’re entitled to order free copies of your
credit reports, and, if you ask, only the last
four digits of your SSN will appear on your
credit reports.
Once you get your credit
reports, review them carefully. Look for
inquiries from companies you haven’t
contacted, accounts you didn’t open, and
debts on your accounts that you can’t explain.
Check that information like your SSN,
address(es), name or initials, and employers
are correct. If you find fraudulent or inaccurate
information, contact the consumer reporting
companies to get it removed. Continue to check
your credit reports periodically, especially for
the first year after you discover the identity
theft, to make sure no new fraudulent activity
has occurred.
FRAUD ALERTS
- An initial alert stays on your credit report for
at least 90 days. You may ask that an initial
fraud alert be placed on your credit report if you
suspect you have been, or could be, a victim
of identity theft. An initial alert is appropriate if
your wallet has been stolen or if you’ve been
taken in by a “phishing” scam. When you place
an initial fraud alert on your credit report,
you’re entitled to one free credit report from
each of the three nationwide consumer
reporting companies.
- An extended alert stays on your credit
report for seven years. You can have an
extended alert placed on your credit report if
you’ve been a victim of identity theft and you
provide the consumer reporting company with
an “identity theft report” (see below for a description). When
you place an extended alert on your credit
report, you’re entitled to two free credit reports
within 12 months from each of the three
nationwide consumer reporting companies.
To place either of these alerts on your credit
report, or to have them removed, you will be
required to provide appropriate proof of your
identity: that may include your SSN, name, address,
and other personal information requested by the
consumer reporting company.
When a business sees the alert on your credit
report, they must verify your identity before issuing
you credit. As part of this verification process, the
business may try to contact you directly. This may
cause some delays if you’re trying to obtain credit.
To compensate for possible delays, you may wish
to include a cell phone number, where you can be
reached easily, in your alert. Remember to keep
all contact information in your alert current.
THE IDENTITY THEFT REPORT
An identity theft report may have two parts:
Part One is a copy of a report filed with a local,
state, or federal law enforcement agency, like
your local police department, your state Attorney
General, the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, the FTC, or
the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. There is no federal
law requiring a federal agency to take a report about
identity theft; however, some state laws require
local police departments to take reports. When
you file a report, provide as much information as you
can about the crime, including anything you know
about the dates of the identity theft, the fraudulent
accounts opened, and the alleged identity thief.
Part Two of an identity theft report depends on the
policies of the consumer reporting company and the
information provider (the business that sent the
information to the consumer reporting company).
That is, they may ask you to provide information or
documentation in addition to that included in the
law enforcement report to verify your identity theft.
They must make their request within 15 days of
receiving your law enforcement report, or, if you
already obtained an extended fraud alert on your
credit report, the date you submit your request to
the consumer reporting company for information
blocking.
The consumer reporting company and
information provider then have 15 more days to
work with you to make sure your identity theft
report contains everything they need. They are
entitled to take five days to review any information
you give them. For example, if you give them
information 11 days after they request it, they do
not have to make a final decision until 16 days after
they asked you for that information. If you give
them any information after the 15-day deadline,
they can reject your identity theft report as
incomplete. You will have to resubmit your identity
theft report with the correct information.
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