Identity Theft Victim’s Bill of Rights: Your Credit Reports Part 1
written by Credit-HQ ExpertWhen you are a victim of identity theft, you feel vulnerable and weak. But there are some potent laws in place to protect you. This “bill of rights” will help you know what rights are given to you in the law and how to use them to recover from identity theft and protect yourself in the future.
Fraud Alerts: You Have a Right to Ask For a Fraud Alert
Anyone who has been victimized by identity theft is entitled to apply a fraud alert to your credit report. You create a fraud alert with each of the three credit bureaus and it acts like a warning signal to lenders that your account may be enduring an identity theft attack. When the creditor sees the alert, they know they must check with you personally before going forward with new credit activity. A lender is required to confirm that any new credit when there is a fraud alert on your account.
Two kinds of fraud alerts exist. One is an initial fraud alarm that is put on your account for 90 days. If the problem goes on, you can extend that initial fraud alert for as long as seven years. If you sustain a fraud alert for that long, you will be taken off of any marketing list for credit offers. You also have a right to a free copy of all of your credit reports every twelve months when a fraud alert is in place.
Active members of the armed forces can set up a fraud alert for a full year. These alerts are identity to the routine variety because it makes it the job of the credit agency to validate that any new credit request is really you. This is a protection programmed into the system to protect military personnel if they are deployed on active duty.
A fraud alert can be set up with all three, you only have to get in touch with one CRA (credit reporting agency). Here is the contact information for all three credit bureaus.
| Equifax 1-800-525-6285 www.equifax.com P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374 |
Experian 1-888-EXPERIAN www.experian.com P.O. Box 9532 Allen, TX 75013 |
TransUnion 1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com |
Credit Reports: You Have a Right to a Free Copy
Once a year, you are entitled to contact any of the three credit agencies and ask for a free copy of your credit report. This right is separate from your ability to get a free credit report each year from AnnualCreditReport.com. You can find out more about getting your free credit report from any of the three credit agencies at their websites at:
- Equifax – https://www.econsumer.equifax.com/consumer/sitepage.ehtml?forward=elearning_credit14
- Experian – http://www.experian.com/consumer/credit_report_faqs.html#consumer_disclosure
- TransUnion – http://annualcreditreport.transunion.com/tu/disclosure/disclosure.jsp?
Asking for a fraud alert from any of these three agencies will immediately generate a free copy of a credit report from all three credit bureaus. This is a legal right you have to help you protect your credit from identity theft.
Click here to see Part 2: Identity Theft Victim’s Bill of Rights: Your Credit Reports Part 2
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