IDENTITY THEFT
Who’s Got Your Number?
Everyone needs to check their credit at
least once per year - especially if someone (a camping club
for instance) threatens to make an adverse credit report
against them.
Here’s how:
If you’re a victim of ID theft:
-
Contact your bank or credit union.
-
Contact one fraud unit (mandatory sharing among all
credit bureaus, per FACT Act). Fraud alert will be
placed on each of your credit reports within 24 hours.
-
Contact FTC’s ID Theft Hotline at 877-IDT-HEFT
to speak with a counselor and report ID theft.
-
Contact each creditor (credit card companies, mortgage
lender, credit union), and Social Security Administration
to notify them of the fraud. Close all affected accounts.
Follow each conversation with a letter and keep a
copy. The FTC’s “ID theft affidavit” simplifies
the process. Go to ftc.gov/idtheft.
-
File a report with local police department, and law
enforcement agency where ID theft took place.
-
Get copies of police reports to send to creditors.
How to order your free credit report
• Get one free report per
year from each agency:
www.annualcreditreport.com
or
Call 877-322-8228
or
• Send request form to:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281,
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
• It’s also free if
you’re:
-
Denied credit within the past 60 days
-
Victim of identity theft
THE BIG THREE CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES
3 MORE RESOURCES:
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