SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

October 11, 2020

IDENTITY THEFT

Courtesy US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

What is identity theft?

Identity theft occurs when someone steals your identity to commit fraud.

Stealing your identity could mean using your personal information such as your name, Social Security number, bank account number or credit card number without your permission

Identity thieves use that stolen information to rent apartments, get credit cards, or start other accounts in your name. You may not learn about the theft until you review your credit report or a credit card statement and notice accounts you didn’t open, charges you didn’t make, or until you’re contacted by a debt collector.

Information about how you can spot identity theft, report and recover from identity theft is available on  https://www.identitytheft.gov.

What do I do if I think I have been a victim of identity theft?

If you think you have been a victim of fraud or identity theft, contact one of the nationwide credit reporting companies and place a fraud alert in your credit report.

You can contact the three nationwide credit reporting companies, Equifax , Experian , and TransUnion with a fraud alert:

CALLING or MAIL

Equifax Alerts, (800) 685-1111    Equifax Consumer Fraud Division, PO Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374;

Experian Fraud Center, (888) 397-3742, Experian, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013;

Transunion Fraud Alert, (888) 909-8872  TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance Department, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016.

A fraud alert requires any future creditors who check your credit report to take steps to verify your identity before opening a new account, issuing an additional card, or increasing the credit limit on an existing account based on your request. When you place a fraud alert on your credit report at one of the nationwide credit reporting companies, it must notify the others.

There are two main types of fraud alerts: initial fraud alerts and extended alerts.

INITIAL FRAUD ALERTS

To file an identity theft report, you must file either a police report or a report with a government agency such as the Federal Trade Commission, http://www.ftc.gov.  

You can place an initial fraud alert on your credit report if you believe you are (or are about to become), a victim of fraud or identity theft. Credit reporting companies will keep that alert on your file for one year. After one year the initial fraud alert will expire and be removed. You have the option to place another initial fraud alert at that time.

An initial fraud alert requires that a potential creditor take reasonable steps to make sure the person making a new credit request in your name is you. If you provide a telephone number, the lender must call you or take reasonable steps to verify whether you are the person making the credit request.

When you place an initial fraud alert in your file, you are entitled to order one free copy of your credit report from each of the nationwide credit reporting companies. These free reports do not count as your free annual report from each credit reporting company.

EXTENDED ALERTS

You can place an extended alert on your credit report after your identity has been stolen and you file an identity theft report.

When you place an extended fraud alert in your file, you are entitled to order two free copies of your credit report from each nationwide credit reporting company over a 12-month period.

An extended alert is good for seven years. An extended alert requires that a potential creditor contact you in person or through the telephone number or other contact method you designate to verify whether you are the person making the credit request.

SECURITY FREEZES

Under federal law you can freeze and unfreeze your credit record for free at the three nationwide credit reporting companies – Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. A security freeze also called a credit freeze, stops new potential creditors from accessing your credit file and others from opening accounts in your name, until you lift the freeze.

There is an exception. The federal law requiring free security freezes does not apply to someone who requests your credit report for employment, tenant-screening, or insurance purposes.

Unlike fraud alerts, if you place a security freeze with one credit reporting agency it will not notify the other credit reporting companies. You must contact each credit reporting company individually if you would like to place a security freeze with all three nationwide credit reporting companies.

Because most businesses will not open credit accounts without checking your credit report, a freeze can stop identity thieves from opening new accounts in your name. Be mindful that a freeze does not prevent identity thieves from taking over existing accounts.

ATTRIBUTION: US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

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