Credit Guides And Credit Services

Identity thieves take advantage of everyday opportunities to discover your personal information and use it to commit fraud or other crimes. The good news is a victim of identity theft has more options today than ever before. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there are four important actions you can take to minimize the credit damage caused by circumstances beyond your control.

Credit Pacific Service Union 1. Contact any of the three major credit bureaus. Speak to someone in the fraud department and request that a fraud alert be placed on your credit report. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two will automatically place one on your report as well. With a fraud alert in place, creditors must contact you before opening any new accounts in your name or changing any details of your existing accounts.

(Scottsdale, Ariz.) % In the aftermath of the Gulf Coast tragedy, many of Katrina%š victims are dealing with the myriad of problems associated with their identity and credit, as they become easy targets for identity thieves. Beginning on Monday, LifeLock, the country%š first and only preventative identity theft solution, will provide all victims of Katrina the tools they need to protect their identities and preserve their credit standing. The service is free to any victim and comes with no obligation.}}

Credit First Service Union Then request a free copy of your credit report from each one. Review all of your credit information looking for unauthorized accounts, charges, or changes. Check the accuracy of your name, address, phone number, Social Security number (SSN), past employers, and any other personal information. Request any inaccuracies be corrected by notifying the bureaus by phone and follow up in writing by using certified mail, return receipt requested, so you will have documentation of all requests and responses by the bureaus. The addresses for each bureau are listed at the end of this article.

Unused credit cards are putting millions of Brits at greater risk of falling victim to identity theft, according to a specialist credit history firm.

Card Credit Mobile Service Continue to check your reports every few months, especially in the first year after you have lost your personal information.

Identity Theft is when someone uses someone else’s personal identifying information for illegal purposes. or obtaining credit in the victim’s name. ID Theft can be as simple as illegally using another’s credit card for fraudulent purchases, or it can be more complex where the Identity Thief uses another’s personal information to apply for and obtain new credit, for example, for a new credit card or home loan. Unfortunately the illegal purpose may be committed over long periods of time before the victim even discovers the fraud.

Card Credit Discover Service 2. Contact the creditors for the accounts that have been altered or opened without your permission. This includes bank accounts, credit card companies, lenders, utilities, phone companies, Internet service providers, and any other services that may be opened fraudulently. Contact the company's fraud department b phone and follow up with a letter.

IDFreeze provides the strongest level of security and protection available for personal and financial information. IDFreeze eliminates any chance of credit fraud by placing a security alert on each family member's credit, so it can't be accessed without their permission. With IDFreeze, families are 200 times less likely to become victims of identity theft as compared to other solutions, and are backed by $1, 000, 000 identity Theft insurance from AIG and Lloyds of London.

Credit Public Service Union The FTC offers the "ID Theft Affidavit" to dispute new accounts, available at www.ftc.gov . To dispute charges on existing accounts, request the company's fraud dispute forms.

If you are a victim of identity theft or credit fraud there are some steps you can take to restore and protect your credit. 1. Request a copy of your credit report from all three national credit bureau systems (Equifax, Experian and Trans Union). Victims of credit fraud can obtain a free copy of their credit report directly from the 3 national credit bureaus. Their addresses and phone numbers are listed below.

Card Credit Processing Service If you suspect that a thief has been passing bad checks in your name, close the account immediately and notify your bank. Contact the major check verification services and ask that the retailers who use their databases stop accepting your checks for purchases. To find out if an identity thief has been writing checks in your name, call SCAN at 1-800-262-7771. The three major check verification services are:

Center Credit Service Union . TeleCheck - Call 1-800-710-9898 or 927-0188.
. Certegy, Inc. - Call 1-800-437-5120.
. International Check Services - Call 1-800-631-9656.

Card Credit Service Wireless
3. The third step to take if you believe you are a victim of identity theft is to file a police report. Request a copy of the report for your records and to send to creditors for verification of the crime. Unfortunately, 61% of victims in 2004 did not notify the police of identity theft crimes.

Credit Security Service Union 4. Finally, file a complaint with the FTC to help law enforcement across the country track identity thieves and catch them. You will also be referred to other useful government agencies and consumer organizations to help you recover from identity theft. Contact the FTC in any of the following ways:

Credit Report Service . Call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338);
. Write Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580;
. Or visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft .

Blogspot Com Christian 5. If you have been turned down for a loan, lost a job, or possibly had to pay significantly more interest fees because damage to your credit score due to circumstances beyond your control, you may have a credit damage claim. Now with a newly developed process called Credit Damage Measurement, you can measure the financial loss you have sustained and as a result, receive fair compensation.

Christian Counseling Credit These five steps should resolve most of your credit problems after becoming a victim of identity theft. However, stay alert for new occurrences. Review your credit report every year and report any problems to creditors immediately both by phone and in writing. With diligence and a little patience, you can recover your good name.

Credit Federal Service Union As promised, here is the location and contact information for he three credit bureaus to report fraud:

Credit Monitoring Service . Equifax - Call 1-800-525-6285; write P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241; or visit www.equifax.com for more information.
. Experian - Call 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); write P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013; or visit www.experian.com for more information.
. TransUnion - Call 1-800-680-7289; write Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790; or visit www.tuc.com for more information.

Credit Division Service For more information, you can visit

Card Credit Online Service
About The Author:

Consumer Counseling Credit Inc Cathy writes frequently on employment screening and background checks and more of her work can be found at http://www.apscreen.com

Card Credit Fleet Service

[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]