Identity Theft Solutions

You need to take action immediately if you’re an identity theft victim or suspect you’re one. Once you’re a victim, it’s too late to talk about identity theft prevention.

So here’s some things you can do now.

Call the bank with the account you believe is fraudulent. Keep careful notes about the call and document everything. You may think you’ll remember but you won’t. Get the name of the person you spoke to, the phone number, date, time and key info you talked about.

Most banks handle fraud claims similarly but don’t assume you know their requirements. Make sure you understand what is expected from you. You also will want to know what to expect from them.

Put a 90-day security fraud alert on your name with the three credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Transunion and Experian. This will prevent any new accounts from being opened in your name without you knowing about it. If you think the fraud investigation is over, request a document from the bank stating you’re not responsible for the debt. That’s important – get it.

But wait – there’s more… Make sure the bank with the fraudulent account and the credit reporting agencies have everything they need to clear your name. Keep following-up on this so you’ll get some peace of mind. Now you can start to relax a bit.

Every month get your credit report so you can keep a close watch on it. If you see a new fraudulent account, you’ll spot it early and 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. Being an identity theft victim is emotionally devastating. It can turn your whole life upside-down. Look into getting some identity theft protection so it won’t happen again.

How to Report Identity Theft

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