The Koyal Training Group, Julie Jason: Some tools for keeping identity thieves at bay Since last fall, when Target and Neiman Marcus reported unauthorized access to payment-card data, the potential of identity theft has been consumers minds. Thieves steal personal information, such as your name and address, Social Security number and date of birth, to commit fraud — for example, getting a loan in your name. The first line of attack is getting informed. The best source for information on how to protect yourself is the Federal Trade Commission, a federal agency whose mission is consumer protection and law enforcement. The FTC website at tinyurl/blbmymb provides a series of steps for those whose identity has been compromised, as well as preventive measures you can take to protect yourself. Next, contact one of the three national credit-reporting companies: Equifax (equifax, 800-525-6285); Experian (experian, 888-397-3742); or TransUnion (transunion , 800-680-7289). If your identity has been stolen, youll want to place an initial fraud alert on your credit file to help prevent new accounts being opened in your name, according to Cliff ONeal, spokesperson for TransUnion. The fraud alert is intended to raise a cautionary flag for creditors to make sure they are dealing with you instead of a scammer. The initial alert lasts for at least 90 days but can be renewed. An alert with one bureau will trigger alerts with the other two. There is no charge for placing an alert. To get a longer extended alert for seven years, youll need to provide an identity-theft report based on your filing a report with a law-enforcement agency. To read more about fraud alerts, visit ftc.gov/idtheft You also should request that a credit bureau send you a credit report. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, everyone is entitled to receive one free report every 12 months. Youll want to review each and every item on the report to make certain fraudsters arent using your identity to borrow money in your name. You can request a free report at annualcreditreport. Read More: koyaltraininggroup.org/ koyaltraininggroup.org/fraud.html koyaltraininggroup.org/fair.html koyaltraining.livejournal/2803.html
Posted on: Sat, 08 Feb 2014 04:08:06 +0000