identity theft & privacy
The FTC estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. In fact, you or someone you know may have experienced some form of identity theft.
Identity theft crimes can take many forms. Identity thieves may rent a condo, open a credit card account, or establish a telephone service in your name. You may not find out about the theft until you review your credit report or a credit card statement and notice charges you didn’t make—or until you’re contacted by a debt collector.
REviewing your credit report
The information contained within your credit report is used to assess your applications for credit, insurance, employment, and renting a home, you should be positive that the information contained in your credit report is accurate and up-to-date. Also, monitoring your credit is one of the best ways to uncover identity theft. At a minimum, check your credit report once a year to correct errors and detect unauthorized activity.
AnnualCreditReport.com is the only government authorized source to get a free annual credit report under federal law. The Fair Credit Reporting Act guarantees you access to a free credit report from the three nationwide reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) every twelve months.
To request your free report online, by phone or by mail. Visit AnnualCreditReport.com, call 1-877-322-8228, or fill out the Annual Credit Report Request form and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. No matter how you request your report, you have the option to request one report at a time. Requesting the reports individually allows you to monitor your credit more frequently throughout the year.
Once your report arrives, review the account and activity. If you see an account you do not recognize or any information that is not accurate, contact the credit reporting agency.