Signs That You May
Have Become
A Victim
How do you know you've become a victim
of identity theft?
Some red flags or indicators might
include the following:
- You are denied credit
- A new or renewed credit card never arrives
in the mail
- You start receiving calls from creditors about debts you
have no knowledge of
- You discover unauthorized purchases on your billing
statements
If someone has stolen your identity, the Federal Trade
Commission recommends you take three actions immediately:
-
Contact the fraud
department of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert
on your credit report.
(See below for phone numbers.) The fraud alert requests creditors to
contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your
existing accounts. As soon as the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the
other two credit bureaus will be automatically notified to place fraud alerts,
and all three credit reports will be sent to you free of charge. Once you
receive your reports, review them carefully to make sure no fraudulent
accounts have been opened in your name or unauthorized changes made to your
existing account.
-
Contact the creditors (credit card companies, banks and other lenders) and
close any accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened
fraudulently.
Ask to speak to someone in the security or fraud department of each creditor.
It’s particularly important to notify credit card companies in writing.
-
File a police
report. Get a copy of the report to submit to you creditors and
others that may require proof the crime.
In "Johnny May's Guide to
Preventing Identity Theft", each of these steps are outlined,
citing additional considerations, as well as listing agency
phone numbers and websites. There are also sections on
your liability and the
importance of documentation.
Order your copy of this important guide today!
Reporting Fraud to Credit Bureaus
Here are the numbers you need
to fight identity theft today!
