If someone steals your SSN to open a credit account in your name, for instance, it can take months to work with the creditor and credit reporting agencies to dispute it and prove it wasn't you. And if someone manages to use your identity to incur tax debt and commit other crimes and major violations, it could take years of work to undo the damage. As previously mentioned, identity thieves may use your SSN to commit what's called new account fraud, where they open unauthorized credit accounts in your name.
In most cases, it may be a credit card or loan, but it can also be a cell phone plan or utility account. If the thief succeeds in opening the new account and doesn't make payments, it could wreak havoc on your credit history, making it difficult to get approved for credit, get a job, qualify for low insurance rates and more.
Recovering from these effects can take time, but it is possible to work with creditors and the credit reporting agencies to set the record straight. The time it takes to recover from identity theft not only depends on the severity of the fraud, but also on how quickly you spot it and the time and effort you put into addressing it. Here are some tips to help:. Dealing with the effects of identity theft can be mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting.
Whether you've already been victimized or you just want to be prepared, it's important to do whatever you can to reduce the risk of future identity theft. Here are some ways to protect your information:. While these efforts won't eliminate the threat of identity theft entirely, they can do a lot to limit your exposure.
Credit monitoring can help you detect possible identity fraud sooner, and can prevent surprises when you apply for credit. Get daily notifications when updates are detected.
The purpose of this question submission tool is to provide general education on credit reporting. The Ask Experian team cannot respond to each question individually. However, if your question is of interest to a wide audience of consumers, the Experian team may include it in a future post and may also share responses in its social media outreach.
If you have a question, others likely have the same question, too. By sharing your questions and our answers, we can help others as well. Personal credit report disputes cannot be submitted through Ask Experian. To dispute information in your personal credit report, simply follow the instructions provided with it. Your personal credit report includes appropriate contact information including a website address, toll-free telephone number and mailing address.
To submit a dispute online visit Experian's Dispute Center. If you have a current copy of your personal credit report, simply enter the report number where indicated, and follow the instructions provided. This will help you report the theft to the FTC and the police. Based on the information you enter, IdentityTheft. The Department of Justice prosecutes cases of identity theft and fraud under a variety of federal statutes. This legislation created a new offense of identity theft, which prohibits "knowingly transfer[ring] or us[ing], without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of Federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable State or local law.
This offense, in most circumstances, carries a maximum term of 15 years' imprisonment, a fine, and criminal forfeiture of any personal property used or intended to be used to commit the offense. Schemes to commit identity theft or fraud may also involve violations of other statutes such as identification fraud 18 U.
Federal prosecutors work with federal investigative agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the United States Secret Service , and the United States Postal Inspection Service to prosecute identity theft and fraud cases. In public places, for example, criminals may engage in "shoulder surfing"— watching you from a nearby location as you punch in your telephone calling card number or credit card number — or listen in on your conversation if you give your credit-card number over the telephone.
If you receive applications for "pre-approved" credit cards in the mail, but discard them without tearing up the enclosed materials, criminals may retrieve them and try to activate the cards for their use without your knowledge. Also, if your mail is delivered to a place where others have ready access to it, criminals may simply intercept and redirect your mail to another location.
Many people respond to "spam"— unsolicited E-mail — that promises them some benefit but requests identifying data, without realizing that in many cases, the requester has no intention of keeping his promise.
In some cases, criminals reportedly have used computer technology to steal large amounts of personal data. For example: False applications for loans and credit cards, Fraudulent withdrawals from bank accounts, Fraudulent use of telephone calling cards or online accounts, or Obtaining other goods or privileges which the criminal might be denied if he were to use his real name What Can You Do If You've Become a Victim of Identity Theft?
A credit freeze has no effect on your credit score or current credit accounts, and the process can be completed in less than 10 minutes. To freeze your credit, you must contact each of the three credit bureaus Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
You'll be asked to provide personal information, such as name, address, Social Security number and birth date. You'll typically be asked a few questions to verify your identity and then be prompted to create a PIN, which should be kept in a secure location. Close all open but unused credit cards and financial accounts in your name. Before doing so, though, consider how it will impact your credit score, noting that a portion of it may be determined by how much money you're able to borrow in total vs.
Register for a post office box. Have important letters containing sensitive information sent there to prevent thieves from casually raiding your mailbox. Use a virtual private network. Also called a VPN, this data-encryption software hides your identity , online activity and communications from unwanted eyes. Traditionally used for secure connections into corporate networks, many users are now using them to secure their presence in cyberspace by hiding their IP address from other users, making their activities invisible.
Install antivirus, antispyware and email-filtering software. Set these tools to automatically scan every 24 hours for possible points of concern, and always make sure you have the most updated versions.
The Federal Trade Commission offers further information on how to keep personal information secure , safeguard your identity and even freeze your credit if necessary. If you think you've been hacked, or spotted warning signs of identity theft, Nichols recommends immediately taking the following precautions. Pull your credit report. Every year, you're entitled to one free credit report from each of the main credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. You can access these reports for free at annualcreditreport.
If you think you've been hacked, pull your credit report immediately to look for unauthorized inquiries. Create an Identity Theft Report. Found at IdentityTheft. The online report asks a few questions about your situation, then devises a personal recovery plan. Place an extended fraud alert on your credit file. An extended fraud alert requires a business to verify your identity before it issues new credit. This alert lasts seven years and is available only to identity theft victims. To get an extended fraud alert, you'll first need to fill out an Identity Theft Report.
Make a list of fraudulent activity. Applications to open new accounts, as well as the accounts that have already been fraudulently opened in your name, must be noted and forwarded to the three credit bureaus and listed on your Identity Theft Report.
Phone the creditors.
0コメント