twinvova.blogg.se

Even though the law does not require that you request this type of alert in writing, it's always a good idea to follow up your telephone call to the credit bureau with a certified letter, return receipt requested, reiterating your request to have a fraud alert placed on your file. If you find out that you no longer need the fraud alert, you can call the credit bureau again and terminate it. To obtain this alert, also called an "initial fraud alert," call the credit bureau by phone and tell them you believe you have been or may become a victim of fraud or identity theft. When requesting a fraud alert, indicate a telephone number where you can be contacted to provide verbal authorization before new lines of credit are issued in your name.

Once this fraud alert is placed on your report, all new creditors who receive a copy of your credit report or credit score will know that you do not authorize the opening of a new account, issuance of a new credit card, or an increase in a credit limit unless the creditor first takes reasonable measures to confirm that the request is truly authorized by you. Obtaining a Fraud AlertĪfter you have closed accounts so that the thieves can no longer use them, take immediate action to prevent them from opening NEW accounts in your name.įirst, contact any of the credit bureaus listed to the left of this section and ask them to place a fraud alert on your file. Your letter should also detail other specific steps that the company agreed to take on your behalf. Most institutions will close the compromised account and issue a new account number with no penalty to you.Īfter contacting all the companies by phone, follow up by mailing them letters stating the date on which you called each one to tell them you might be a victim of identity theft and indicating that you asked, and the company agreed, to close the account and assign it a new number.

Using this list as a guide, contact each institution and explain that you are an identity theft victim and ask to close the account. To stay organized, make a list of all your bank accounts, credit cards, utilities and service providers and their contact information. In certain cases - such as, if someone finds your lost wallet and begins to use one of the credit cards it contains - assume that all your accounts are at risk and close them immediately. If you know about a specific account that an identity thief has used or has information about, your first step should be to immediately close that account. The sooner you detect a problem, the less it can harm you.