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Are You a Victim of Identity Theft?
By Credit Watcher | August 14, 2007
It’s too late to talk about identity theft prevention now, so here are some things you can do if you’re an identity theft victim.
Call the creditor with the account you believe is fraudulent. document your call with the phone number, extension, date, time and who you spoke to.
Understand the process of how this creditor handles fraud claims. Make sure you understand what is expected from you. Ask what you can expect from them.
Now, protect yourself with a 90-day security alert with the three credit reporting agencies - Equifax, Transunion and Experian. A 90-day security alert gives you time to verify if you are a victim of fraud.
When this investigation has concluded, request a document from the creditor stating you are not responsible for the debt.
You’re still not done.
Follow up to make sure the creditor of the fraudulent account and the credit reporting agencies have all the information they need to clear your name. Now, you can take your first deep breath.
Keep a sharp eye on your credit reports from the three reporting agencies every month to be sure everything is cleared up. If a new fraudulent account is discovered, you know how to handle it.
After your credit report is back to normal, you can feel confident that all issues were resolved as you expected.
Even though you now know what to do if you’re an identity theft victim, you may want to consider identity theft protection so it won’t happen again.
Topics: Identity Theft Solutions |