Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Credit Fraud
Steps to reduce identity-theft risk and respond when your personal or credit information is misused.
Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Credit Fraud
Identity theft occurs when someone uses personal information without permission. Warning signs include unfamiliar accounts or inquiries, bills for services you did not receive, unexpected collection calls, or notices that an online account changed.
Reduce your risk
Use unique passwords and multifactor authentication, install updates, and treat unexpected links or requests for verification codes as suspicious. Review bank and card activity frequently. Shred sensitive documents and secure your mail.
A credit freeze restricts access to your credit file and is free at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Freeze each bureau separately and store the credentials needed to lift it. A freeze does not affect your score or stop fraud on an existing account.
A fraud alert asks businesses to verify your identity before opening credit. An initial alert lasts one year; eligible identity-theft victims can request an extended alert. Contacting one bureau for an alert should cause it to notify the other two.
If identity theft happens
- Report the incident at IdentityTheft.gov and follow the recovery plan.
- Contact affected financial institutions immediately and change compromised credentials.
- Freeze your reports and review all three for unfamiliar information.
- Dispute fraudulent items. An identity-theft block has specific FCRA requirements, including proof of identity, an identity-theft report, identification of the fraudulent information, and a statement that it was not your transaction.
- Keep dates, confirmation numbers, letters, and reports.
Be cautious of anyone promising a new “credit identity” or instructing you to use an Employer Identification Number instead of your Social Security number. Credit privacy numbers and false identity applications can involve fraud.
No prevention method stops every form of identity theft. Continue monitoring existing financial, tax, medical, and government-benefit accounts even when your credit is frozen.