Dishonest Landlord Fraud Credit Card Fraud As soon as you realize you are a victim of credit card fraud, you should: Contact the three major credit reporting agencies to notify them of the problem and provide as much evidence as you have. Ask them to log the theft and remove the fraudulent information from your credit record. call Equifax at (800) 525-6285, Experian at (888) 397-3742, and Trans Union at (800) 680-7289. Request that a "fraud alert" be placed on your credit report. This will alert any credit provider to contact you before issuing a new credit card. Call and then write each agency. Trans Union, Fraud Victim Assistance Department P. O. Box 6790 Fullerton, Calif. 92834 Call (800) 680-7289. Equifax P. O. Box 740241 Atlanta, Ga. 30374-0241 Call (800) 525-6285. Experian P. O. Box 1017 Allen, Texas 75013 Call (800) 301-7195. Request a copy of your credit record from each agency. This is a free service for victims of fraud. The nearest office of the Consumer Credit Counseling Service may be able to give you advice on removing fraudulent claims from your credit report. Call 800-388-2227. After you've dealt with the credit reporting agencies, you need to deal with the credit card issuers. Call your credit card issuers to cancel your credit cards. Cancel them with the status "Account closed at customer's request." If you allow the closing status to be "Card lost or stolen" the "lost" part could place blame on you. Request new cards with different credit card numbers. Follow up in writing with the details of each card you wish canceled. Call each company that issued a fraudulent credit card to obtain a copy of the signed credit card contract. You must have this document to prove you did not authorize the issuance of the card and are therefore not responsible for the charges. You may have difficulty locating the person authorized to send you a copy of the contract, but be persistent. Follow up in writing to the address given for "billing inquiries," not the address for sending your payments. Call each company that issued a fraudulent credit card to request their procedures for handling fraudulent accounts or charges. They may require a signed affidavit of fraud, police reports, or other documents. Cooperate with these procedures to expedite their bureaucratic process. Once they acknowledge fraud, ask them to send the three credit reporting agencies a letter confirming the fraudulent activity. Notify each company that issued a fraudulent credit card that the card is, indeed, fraudulent and charges against that card are fraudulent.Continue calling each company that issued a fraudulent credit card to track their progress in their investigation. Identity Theft Protection If you are serious about protecting your credit and want identity theft coverage, you can examine Privacy Matters 1-2-3 Identity Theft Protection Service. This resource provides: Triple Bureau Credit Monitoring provides automatic alerts when activity is detected to your credit files at all three credit bureaus FREE 3-in-1 Credit Report and Triple Score — get unlimited online access to your 3-in-1 Credit Report and Triple Score, which merges your credit information and scores from all three credit reporting bureaus into one easy-to-read report Online access to FICO® Scorewatch, which automatically notifies you of changes to your FICO® score — at members-only rates Unlimited, toll-free access to Credit Report Customer Service Enroll in Identity Theft Restoration Services — at no additional cost to you Check out Privacy Matters 1-2-3 Identity Theft Protection Service today. Problems You Can Encounter My wallet was stolen in December 1998. There’s been no end to the problems I’ve faced since then. The thieves used my identity to write checks, use a debit card, open a bank account with a line of credit, open credit accounts with several stores, obtain cell phones and run up huge bills, print fraudulent checks on a personal computer bearing my name, and more. I’ve spent the last two years trying to repair my credit report (a very frustrating process) and have suffered the ill effects of having a marred credit history. I’ve recently been denied a student loan because of inaccurate information on my credit report. From a consumer complaint to the FTC, February 22, 2001 I’m tired of the hours I’ve spent on the phone and all the faxing I’ve had to do. When will it be over? From a consumer complaint to the FTC, March 13, 2001 Tomorrow is Sunday so we won’t get any notices, but I’m not looking forward to Monday’s mail. From a consumer complaint to the FTC, November 13, 2001 How can someone commit identity theft? The Federal Trade Commission explains how identity theft is committed: By co-opting your name, Social Security number, credit card number, or some other piece of your personal information for their own use. In short, identity theft occurs when someone appropriates your personal information without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft. Once identity theft is committed, then what? Once identity thieves fake your identity, they: Open a new credit card account, using your name, date of birth, and Social Security number. When they use the credit card and don’t pay the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your credit report. Call your credit card issuer and, pretending to be you, change the mailing address on your credit card account. Then, your impostor runs up charges on your account. Because your bills are being sent to the new address, you may not immediately realize there's a problem. Establish cellular phone service in your name. Open a bank account in your name and write bad checks on that account. More information is available here about: How to commit identity theft How to prevent identity theft Help for victims of identity theft Back to the main page of Identity Theft Picture On Identity Theft Hundreds Of Databases Already Exist That Contain Detailed Information Identity Theft Google Cellular Phone Identity Theft Consequences Of Credit Card Fraud Most Secure Lockable Mailbox How To Open Bank Account Without Identity Most Secure Lockable Mailbox Identity Theft Used My Debit Card Checking Account How Easy Is It To Steal Someone's Id Copyright © 2004-2010 Robert Sherman