If you think you have been the victim of identity theft, you should place a fraud alert on your credit report by contacting any one of the three credit bureaus listed below. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two bureaus will automatically be notified to place fraud alerts on your credit report, and all three reports will be sent to you free of charge.

Equifax
800-525-6285
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
www.equifax.com

Experian
888-397-3742
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
www.experian.com

TransUnion - Fraud Victim Assistance Division
800-680-7289
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92864-6790
www.transunion.com

When you receive your credit reports, review them carefully. Look for inquiries you did not initiate, accounts you did not open, and unexplained debts on the accounts you did open. If there are accounts or charges you did not authorize, immediately notify the credit bureau by telephone and in writing.

You should also confirm that information such as your Social Security number, address(es), first and last names, middle initial and employers are correct. Errors in this information are often the warning signs of identity theft, although some inaccuracies may be due to simple mistakes. If you discover inaccuracies in your report, you should also notify the credit bureau as soon as possible so the information can be investigated.

You should continue to check your credit reports frequently for the next year to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.

Finally, if you have discovered errors or suspicious activity on your credit report, you should consider immediately contacting any credit card companies with whom you have an account and inform them about the activity. You should make sure they have your correct information on file and that any changes to the account were made by you.

You may also wish to visit www.annualcreditreport.com, which provides a free credit report every year from each credit bureau.