If you suspect that you are a victim of identity theft, you may contact the credit bureaus to request that a 90-day fraud alert is placed on your credit reports. This alert notifies potential creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before opening a new account. If you have been a victim of identity theft you only need to contact one bureau to have a temporary 90 day alert added to all three of your credit reports. This 90 day alert notifies potential creditors that your identity may have been stolen and suggests that they take extra steps to confirm your identity before opening a new account. If it turns out that your identity has been stolen, you can request an extended 7 year alert by providing documentation of the crime (such as a police report). There is also a special 1 year fraud alert available for military personnel on activity duty.
A notation attached to your credit reports which require you to be contacted by phone before any new credit, bank, or loan accounts are opened.
a first line of defense to help prevent new credit accounts from being opened without your express permission
a message attached to your credit report, at all three credit bureaus, which identifies you as a possible victim of fraud
a message in your credit report that flags an account telling a creditor that there may be fraud involved on that account
a message that credit issuers receive when someone applies for new credit in your name
an alert that the three major credit reporting companies attach to your credit file
a notice that the credit bureaus add to your credit
a report that's placed on your credit report to alert creditors that your confidential financial data has been or may be compromised
a request that you be called before credit is issued in your name
a special message on the report that a credit issuer
a special message on the report that a creditor receives when checking a consumer's credit rating
a statement that's placed on your credit report to alert creditors that your private financial information has been or may be compromised
a tool to assist you against falling prey to identity theft
a notice that warns that your name and Social Security number may be used by someone without your permission
A consumer can place this on their credit report if they suspect they have been a victim of identity fraud. A fraud alert forces a business to verify your identity before they can issue you credit. This often means you will need to be contacted directly by the business, so it's important to include a current phone number. There are both short- or long-term alerts you can place on your credit report.
If you suspect that you're the victim of identity theft or credit fraud, you may contact the credit reporting agencies and place a fraud alert on your credit file. Such an alert will prevent new credit accounts from being opened without your express permission.
A fraud alert can be put on your credit report at the CRA's if and when you become an identity theft victim. It’s intention is to let everyone know that someone may be trying to obtain new credit in your name, so the process will be very closely scrutinized. In practice, however, this safeguard accomplishes very little as it is often ignored or missed.
