Three Steps To Take If You Become A Victim Of Identity Theft

You've always paid your credit card bills before they were due. Your rates on the few cards that you have are low as you've always been responsible for your actions etc.

However, some recent actions have caught your attention and you are beginning to wonder if you have become a victim of identity theft. Those recent actions that have caused you to think this way have been phone calls from debt collectors, a credit card mailed to you that you did not request and being turned down for a revolving charge card because of delinquent payments.

All of these adverse situations may be an indicator that you have become the latest victim of identity theft. If in fact you think this may have occurred there are immediate actions you need to take. Those actions include notifying various fraud departments, monitoring your credit report and reporting your situation to law enforcement.

Reporting To Fraud Departments

The first action that victims of identity theft should take is to report the actuality or possibility of identity theft to the fraud department of the three credit bureaus. Those three credit bureaus are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Actually, when an individual reports identity theft to one of the credit bureaus, they in turn will notify the other two.

The action that the credit bureaus will take upon notification of identity theft will be the flagging of the account of the individual. This flagging process means that potential creditors will be required to personally call the individual who is making application for credit.

In addition, there are certain procedures that a victim of identity theft can expect when they report identity theft. Those additional procedures include the personal account being flagged for 90 days. Following this flagging process, the victim will be notified that this has been accomplished along with a listing of additional rights afforded to the victims of identity theft.

After you've received this information you can obtain a free copy of your credit report. It's also strongly advised that you make a formal request to the three credit bureaus that your account be flagged form the usual 90 days to 7 years.

Check over your credit report closely to look for items that seem out of place. If you find questionable entries you should inform the credit bureaus of them. After reporting the fraudulent activity, the credit bureau is under no obligation to reveal it to others who are authorized to look at your personal credit report.

Article Source: http://www.search4allinfo.com

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