Fraud Action Steps

If you discover you are a victim or potential victim of identity theft, make these moves:

File a report with your local law enforcement agency.

Monitor your credit reports to detect suspicious activity.

Contact the companies, such as bank and credit card issuers, that are responsible for any accounts you suspect are in jeopardy. You might need to cancel accounts involved in your case of identity theft.

You have the right to place a fraud alert or credit freeze on your credit report. Please see below for more detailed information.

Fraud Alert

You have the right to place an initial or extended fraud alert on your file at no cost. An initial fraud alert lasts one (1) year and is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven (7) years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the agencies listed below. The agency you contact will then contact the other two credit agencies.

Credit Freeze

You also have the right to put a security freeze, also known as a credit freeze, on your credit file, so that no new credit can be opened in your name without the use of a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that is issued to you when you initiate the freeze. A credit freeze is designed to prevent potential credit grantors from accessing your credit report without your consent. If you place a credit freeze, potential creditors and other third parties will not be able to access your credit report unless you temporarily lift the freeze. Therefore, using a credit freeze may delay our ability to obtain credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact all three major consumer reporting agencies listed below.

You must separately place a credit freeze on your credit file at each credit reporting agency. The following should be included when requesting a credit freeze:

1. Full name, with middle initial and any suffixes
   
2. Social Security number
   
3. Date of birth (month, day and year)
   
4. Current address and previous address for the past five (5) years
   
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill
   
6. Other personal information as required by the applicable credit reporting agency
   

If you request a credit freeze online or by phone, the credit reporting agencies have one (1) business day after receiving your request to place a credit freeze on your credit file report. If you request a lift of the credit freeze online or by phone, the credit reporting agency must lift the freeze within one (1) hour. If you request a credit freeze or lift of the credit freeze by mail,  the credit agency must place or lift the credit freeze no later than three (3) business day after getting your request.