As a precautionary measure, remain vigilant by reviewing all of your account statements and credit reports at least monthly. If you notice any suspicious activity, you should promptly notify the financial institution or company with which the account is maintained. You also should promptly report any fraudulent activity or any suspected incidence of identity theft to proper law enforcement authorities, your state attorney general, and/or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
You can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies once every 12 months by visiting http://www.annualcreditreport.com/, calling toll-free 1-877-322-8228, or by completing an Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348. You also can contact one of the following three national credit reporting agencies:
Equifax
P.O. Box 105851
Atlanta, GA 30348
1-800-525-6285
www.equifax.com
Experian
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com
TransUnion
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19016
1-800-916-8800
www.transunion.com
You may want to consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report. An initial fraud alert is free and will stay on your credit file for at least one year. The alert informs creditors of possible fraudulent activity within your report and requests that the creditor contact you prior to establishing any accounts in your name. To place a fraud alert on your credit report, contact any of the three credit reporting agencies identified above. Additional information is available at http://www.annualcreditreport.com.
You have the right to put a security freeze on your credit file for up to one year at no cost. This will prevent new credit from being opened in your name without the use of a PIN number that is issued to you when you initiate the freeze. A security freeze is designed to prevent potential creditors from accessing your credit report without your consent. As a result, using a security freeze may interfere with or delay your ability to obtain credit. You must separately place a security freeze on your credit file with each credit reporting agency. In order to place a security freeze, you may be required to provide the consumer reporting agency with information that identifies you including your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, current and previous addresses, a copy of your state-issued identification card, and a recent utility bill, bank statement or insurance statement.
You can obtain information from the consumer reporting agencies, the FTC, or from your
respective state Attorney General about fraud alerts, security freezes, and steps you can take toward preventing identity
theft. You may report suspected identity theft to local law enforcement, including to the FTC or to the Attorney General in
your state.
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20580
consumer.fie.gov, and
www.ftc.gov/idtheft
1-877-438-4338
Your rights include the right to know what is in your file, to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information; to have consumer reporting agencies correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; as well as other rights. For more information about the FCRA, and your rights pursuant to the FCRA, please visit https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf.
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