Chapter 5:
Resources
Credit Reporting Bureaus/Accessing Credit Reports
- Annual Credit Report Request Service
To order a credit report call: (877) 322-8228
P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
www.annualcreditreport.com
- Equifax
To order your report (800) 685-1111
To report fraud (888) 766-0008
P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374
www.equifax.com
- Experian
To order a credit report and report fraud, call: (888) 397-3742
P.O. Box 2104, Allen, TX 75013-2104
www.experian.com
- TransUnion
To order your report (800) 888-4213
To report fraud (800) 680-7289
TransUnion, 2 Baldwin Pl, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19022
www.transunion.com
Government Agencies
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
The CFPB oversees the operation of credit bureaus and maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations.
(855) 411-2372
www.consumerfinance.gov
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service
(877) 876-2455
Criminal Investigations Service Center, Attn: Mail Fraud
222 S Riverside Plaza Ste 1250, Chicago, IL 60606
http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov
Checking Account Fraud
In addition to reporting checking account fraud to your financial institution, you can report it to these agencies that monitor checking account transactions:
- ChexSystems
(800) 428-9623
7805 Hudson Road, Suite 100, Woodbury, MN 55125
www.consumerdebit.com
- TeleCheck:
(800) 710-9898
Attn: Forgery Department, P.O. Box 4451, Houston, TX 77210
www.telecheck.com
Miscellaneous
Identity Theft Action Log
If
you are a victim of identity theft, breathe deeply. Minimizing
damage
will take patience and a systematic approach. To start, commit
yourself to
becoming and remaining organized. Since you will be communicating
with a
lot of people and have many tasks to complete, use this Identity
Theft
Action Log to keep track of your efforts. Keep copies of all letters
you
send and receive, file paperwork promptly, and store everything
in a safe
and accessible place.
Download the
Identity Theft Action Log (PDF)
Glossary of Terms
Account
takeover – When
an identity thief uses your personal information to convince
a financial institution to give him or her full control of your
account.
Affidavit
of factual innocence – A legal document issued
by a court, stating that you’re innocent. You may need one
of these if you’ve been wrongfully arrested as a result
of identity theft.
Affidavit
of forgery – A
legal document that states that a certain signature is not yours,
but a forgery.
Check
washing – A
method identity thieves use to commit check fraud. They dip a
check in acetone, which washes the ink off so they can write
it for a higher amount.
Credit
repair agency – A company that offers “cleanup” services
to remove accurate information from your credit report. Often
illegal and expensive, they are sometimes called credit clinics.
Credit
reporting agency (CRA) – Commonly known as credit
bureaus, they keep track of credit records, and issue credit reports
to those who have a legitimate reason for accessing your credit
history.
DL
stop (driver license stop) – A DL stop is a system that
puts a flag on your driver license in the Department of Motor Vehicle’s
database, to show that your license has been lost or stolen.
Fraud
alert – A
fraud alert is put on your credit report at the CRAs if you become
an identity theft victim. It lets potential creditors know that
someone may be trying to obtain new credit in your name, so the
process will be very closely scrutinized.
Permissible
purposes – Guidelines set out in the FCRA that
outline the allowable reasons for requesting a copy of a credit
report. One of those reasons is if you’re a victim of identity
theft.
Truncated
credit card number – When all the digits of your
credit or debit card number, except for the last four or five,
are “x’d” out on a receipt or other document.
This is done to protect you from identity theft.
Victim’s statement – A
statement that is attached to your credit report when you think
you may be a victim of identity theft. It asks creditors to contact
you before opening any new credit accounts, or making any changes
to existing ones.
Download the printer-friendly booklet (PDF):
Identity Theft Solutions
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