How to Place a Fraud Alert With the Credit Bureau

Identity theft remains a major concern all over the world, and there are ways for those in the United States to protect their credit information from abuse. Concerned consumers can place a fraud alert on their Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion credit reports. This means that each time someone applies for credit, whether it is you or someone who has stolen your identity, the bank must confirm that you actually made the request before granting or denying credit. This is a good way to help prevent people from getting credit and other types of accounts in your name.

Instructions

1

Requesting a 90-day fraud alert can usually be done online. Visit Equifax Online Help (see Resources section) to fill out the form for a 90-day fraud alert. Equifax will also communicate your fraud alert to the other two credit reporting agencies (Experian and TransUnion) so you only need to fill out one form. A 90-day fraud alert will make it so potential and existing creditors must contact you before making any credit-granting transactions. In the case of existing creditors, they must check with you before increasing your credit limit, issuing new cards or changing addresses.

2

Getting a 7-year fraud alert requires a more involved process, because this is usually reserved for people who have actually been victims of identity theft. For this, you must apply in writing to each credit reporting agency (see Resources section) and have a federal, state or local law enforcement report showing that you have reported suspected crimes in order to apply for this type of fraud alert. This report also removes you from receiving credit offers in the mail for up to five years. The credit bureaus will require you to send copies of your identifying information, such as a government photo ID and recent bank statement. This could take a few weeks to process, but in the meantime, you have the protection of a 90-day fraud alert during the approval process.

3

Obtaining a 1-year active duty alert can be done online through Equifax Online Help. This is for overseas military service members who want to make sure no one gets credit in their name or changes to their accounts without consent while they are deployed. Like the 90-day fraud alert, filling out the Equifax form online also ensures that Experian and TransUnion issue the alerts onto your credit reports.