Fraud Alerts
When you ask a Credit Reporting Agency (CRA) to place a Fraud Alert on your Credit Report, you are notifying the Credit Reporting Agency that you have been, or suspect to be, a victim of Identity Theft; this encourages the Credit Reporting Agency to take steps to safeguard your report against fraud. Such steps include asking Creditors to verify your identity, through direct contact, prior to issuing Credit in your name.
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Fraud Alerts will not necessarily stop the issuance of credit in your name, nor Lock/Freeze access to your Credit Report, but would merely imply that the CRA will follow a certain procedure, flagging your account. Also, a Creditor isn't required by law to contact you to verify your identity. There are two types of Fraud Alerts:
| Initial Fraud Alert ! |
Extended Fraud Alert !!! |
| • Placed if you suspect Identity Theft |
• Placed if you are a victim of Identity Theft |
| • Alert is active for at least 90 days |
• Alert is active for 7 years |
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• Your name is removed from marketing lists and
pre-screened Credit offers for 5 years (unless you
reinstate your name on the lists)
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• Entitles you to a free Credit Report from the
three CRAs |
• Entitles you to 2 free Credit Reports every
12 months from the 3 CRAs |
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Members can sign-up for Email Reminders, sent every 3 months, to remind Members to renew their Fraud Alerts |
Placing Fraud Alerts
To place Fraud Alerts, you should contact one of the three Credit Reporting Agencies, and request Fraud Alerts to be placed on your account. If you contact one of the Credit Reporting Agencies, they should automatically notify the other two. Although you typically would only need to contact one, in case you do not get confirmation from the other two that Fraud Alerts have been placed on your account, you should contact them directly to make sure it is done.
Members of www.CreditLock.com can sign-up to receive Email Reminders, sent every three months, in order to remind members to renew their Fraud Alerts.
Important!!: to further reduce your risk of becoming an Identity Theft victim, make sure to also consider adding your name to Pre-Screen Op-Out, in order to reduce unsolicited credit card offers, as well as the National Do Not Call List, in order to stop unsolicited telemarketers calls. You should also consider Fraud Alerts Reminders, and placing a Credit Freeze / Credit Lock. Relevant Links are either at top orange menu bar, or at bottom of page.
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Equifax  1-800-525-6285; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Transunion  1-800-680-7289; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
Experian 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013 |
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