Call the Fraud Units of the Three Principal Credit Reporting Companies
Credit Reporting Companies
Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
(800) 525-6285
www.equifax.com
Experian (TRW)
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
(888) 397-3742
www.experian.com
TransUnion Corp.
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
(800) 680-7289
www.transunion.com
Additional Steps
- Place a fraud alert on your credit report, which tells creditors to contact you before changing your existing accounts or opening any new accounts in your name. You need to contact only one of the three credit reporting companies; that company is required to contact the other two, and all three will place alerts on their versions of your reports. Once you place a fraud alert in your file, you are entitled to free copies of your credit reports. Ask that only the last four digits of your Social Security Number appear on your credit reports.
- There are two fraud alerts.
- You can ask for an initial fraud alert if you suspect you have been a victim of identity theft or that you might be at risk. If your wallet has been stolen or if you have been taken in by a phishing scam, you might ask for an initial report. When you place an initial fraud alert on your credit report, you are entitled to one free credit report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies. An initial alert stays on your credit report for at least 90 days.
- If you are sure you are the victim of identity crime, you can have an extended alert placed on your credit report. You must provide the consumer reporting company with an "identity theft report" (available from the FTC at http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov). When you place an extended alert on your credit report, you are entitled to two free credit reports from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies within 12 months. In addition, the consumer reporting companies will remove your name from marketing lists for pre-screened credit offers for five years unless you ask them to put your name back on the list before then. An extended alert stays on your credit report for seven years.
- To place either of these alerts on your credit report, or to have alerts removed, you must provide appropriate proof of your identity that may include your Social Security Number, name, address, and other personal information requested by the consumer reporting company.
