How to Report Possible Identity Theft to the Credit Bureau

Identity theft is a rapidly growing problem in America. With the advent of the Internet, borrowers and banking consumers have become more lenient with their personal passwords and account numbers. Monitoring your credit and accounts periodically is as important as knowing the process for reporting a possible identity theft.

Instructions

1

Pull a copy of your credit report. See the resources for a free bureau offered by the government. Review all accounts, judgments, delinquencies and personal data for inaccuracies. Make sure to verify any suspicious information with your lenders and account holders. Before making a claim, you must be very confident that reports on the bureau are in fact fraudulent; false claims of identity theft are taken very seriously, and the punishments are severe.

2

Notify the Federal Trade Commission first. You can file a report either by phone or online. See the resources bar for this information. The FTC follows up on all complaints filed and you can check the status of your report by dialing the same number. Contact the SSA (Social Security Administration) to report a lost card or stolen number. In certain circumstances, you will be issued a new Social Security number. Contact the Office of the Inspector General if you suspect your Social Security number may be being used for more malicious purposes like terrorism.

3

Report the identity theft to all three credit bureaus -- Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. (See resources for contact information.) All three bureaus will immediately place fraud alerts on your credit bureaus. Fraud alerts require the bureaus to contact you before any credit changes (credit extension, new accounts) are made to your profile. Also, request that only the last four digits be displayed on your credit bureau reports for security purposes.

4

Mark all fraudulent activity on hard copies of each of the three credit bureau reports you obtained earlier. This includes all fraudulent inquiries, accounts, credit withdrawals, personal information changes and judgments. Once compiled, send this information to the credit bureaus. The bureaus are then required to inform any and all retailers involved in the transactions. Also, they are required to confirm each claim of fraudulent activity and remove it from your profile.

5

Consider freezing your account. All borrowers are entitled to this privilege. When you freeze your accounts, no one is able to access the information contained on the report without your expressed authorization. If you are a true victim of identity fraud, this service is free. Non-victims may be subject to a fee for this service.

6

Prevent the problem. Monitor your credit reports and bank accounts regularly (at least four times per year). Keep a close eye on your online transactions and never provide personal information to a source you do not trust. Also, never enter personal and confidential information on a website that doesn't begin with an "https" -- the universal symbol for an encrypted and protected site.