Identity Theft

Identity Theft Vicitms - Immediate Steps
By Jason Louis

If you are a victim of identity theft, take the following four steps as soon as possible, and keep a record with the details of your conversations and copies of all correspondence.

1. PLACE A FRAUD ALERT ON YOUR CREDIT REPORTS, AND REVIEW YOUR CREDIT REPORTS.

Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name. Contact the toll-free fraud number of any of the three consumer reporting companies below to place a fraud alert on your credit report. You only need to contact one of the three companies to place an alert. The company you call is required to contact the other two, which will place an alert on their versions of your report, too.

- Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

- Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) ; www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013

- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you're entitled to order free copies of your credit reports, and, if you ask, only the last four digits of your SSN will appear on our credit reports.

Once you get your credit reports, review them carefully. Look for inquiries from companies you haven't contacted, accounts you didn't open, and debts on your accounts that you can't explain. Check that information like your SSN, address(es), name or initials, and employers are correct. If you find fraudulant or inaccurate information, get it removed. Continue to check your credit reports periodically , especially for the first year after you discover the identity theft, to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.

2. CLOSE THE ACCOUNTS THAT YOU KNOW, OR BELIEVE, HAVE BEEN TAMPERED WITH OR OPENED FRAUDULENTLY.

Call and speak to someone in the security or fraud department of each company. Follow up in writing, and include copies (NOT originals) of supporting documents. It's important to notify credit card companies and banks in writing. Send you letters by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can document what the company received and when. Keep a file of your correspondence and enclosures.

When you open new accounts, use new Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and passwords. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.

If the identity thief has made charges or debits on your accounts, or on fraudulently opened accounts, ask the company for the forms to dispute those transactions:

- For charges and debits on existing accounts, ask the representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms. Write to the company at the address given for "billing inquiries," NOT the address for sending payments.

- For new unauthorized accounts, ask if the company accepts the ID Theft Affidavit. If not , ask the representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms.

If the company already has reported these accounts or debts on your credit report, dispute this fraudulant information.

Once you have resolved your identity theft dispute with the company, ask for a letter stating that the company has closed the disputed accounts and has discharged the fraudulent debts. This letteris your best proof if errors relating to this account reappear on your credit report or you are contacted again about the fraudulent debt.

3. FILE A REPORT WITH YOUR LOCAL POLICE OR THE POLICE IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE THE IDENTITY THEFT TOOK PLACE.

Then , get a copy of the police report or at the very least, the number or the report. It can help you deal with creditors who need proof of the crime. If the police are reluctant to take your report, ask to file a "Miscellaneous Incidents" report, or try another jurisdiction, like your state police. You also can check with your state Attorney General's office to find out if state law requires the police to take reports for identity theft. Check the Blue Pages of your telephone directory for the phone number or check www.naag.org for a list of state Attorneys General.

4. FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION.

By sharing your identity theft complaint with the FTC, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement officials across the nation track down identity thieves and stop them. The FTC can refer victims' complaints to other government agencies and companies for further action, as well as investigate companies for violations of laws the agency enforces.

You can file a complaint online at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. If you don't have internet access, call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-IDTHEFT (433-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261; or write : Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.

Be sure to call the Hotline to update your complaint if you have any additional information or problems.

THE IDENTITY THEFT REPORT
An identity theft report may have two parts:

Part One is a copy of a report filed with a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency, like your local police department, your State Attorney General, the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, the FTC, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. There is no federal law requiring a federal law requiring a federal agency to take a report about identity theft; however, some state laws require local police departments to take reports. When you file a report, provide as much information as you can about the crime, including anything you know about the dates of the identity theft, the fraudulent accounts opened , and the alleged identity thief.

Note: Knowingly submitting false information could subject you to criminal prosecution for perjury.

Part Two of an identity theft report depends on the policies of the consumer reporting company and the information provider (the business that sent the information to the consumer reporting company). That is, they may ask you to provide information or documentation in addition to that included in the law enforcement report which is reasonably intended to verify your identity theft. They must make their request within 15 days of receiving your law enforcement report, or, if you already obtained an extended fraud alert on your credit report, the date you submit your request to the credit reporting company for information blocking. The consumer reporting company and information provider then have 15 more days to work with you to make sure your identity theft report contains everything they need. They are entitled to take five days to review any information you give them. For example, if you give them information 11 days after they request it , they do not have to make a final decision until 16 days after they asked you for that information. If you give them any information after the 15-day deadline, they can reject your identity theft report as incomplete; you will have to resubmit your identity theft report with the correct information.

You may find that most federal and state agencies, and some local police departments, offer only "automated" reports - a report that does not require a face to face meeting with a law enforcement officer. Automated reports may be submitted online, or by telephone or mail. If you have a choice, do not use and automated report. The reason? It's more difficult for the consumer reporting company or information provider to verify the information. Unless you are asking a consumer reporting company to place an extended fraud alert on your credit report, you probably will have to provide additional information or documentation when you use an automated report.

Hopefully this article has provided you with some useful information. You can learn more about identity theft by visiting my blog at http://identitytheftissues.blogspot.com/

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Fix Your Bad Credit in 8 Simple Steps

How to Repair Bad Credit in 8 Simple Steps

By: Garret Belisle

Here is STEP 1: Read your credit report to discover what things are listed on the report that have led to your bad credit rating in the first place.



STEP 2: If you note inaccuracies on your credit report, you'll need to dispute those with the individual creditors reporting them. You can't dispute accurate information even if it does reflect poorly on your credit report, but you can make repairs and improve your credit.



STEP 3: Contact individual creditors and ask if they're willing to work with you to create a repayment plan you can afford, but also assures the creditor of your intent to repay the debt owed them.



STEP 4: Contact your credit card companies and ask for a reduction in the interest rate applied to your credit cards. Some may not be willing, but many credit card companies are willing to do so for cardholders. Use the reduction of interest applied to a credit card account to pay the debt you have on it down faster.



STEP 5: Gather pay stubs and statements for monthly, quarterly, and annual bills (utilities, phone, mortgage, home insurance, retirement account contributions) and create a budget to keep from spending beyond what you actually bring in. You'll also find ways to spend less and use those savings to pay on the debts causing you bad credit



STEP 6: Maxed-out credit cards? Barely able to make the minimum payments on them? Stop using them! Hide them away in a drawer so they won't tempt you to use them and add even more debts to them.



STEP 7: Contact a credit counseling service if your debts are so large that you cannot make regular payments on all of them. A credit counseling service can help you create a plan of action to take care of the debts that are responsible for your bad credit. They can often times speak to your creditors and get you reduced rates and extended payments plans as well.



STEP 8: Apply for a bank sponsored debit or prepaid credit card. As you use this for purchases and make regular payments, you will slowly rebuild bad credit into good credit.



No matter how bad a credit problem may be, it can either get better or worse. In many cases much, much worse. Almost everyone has had credit issues at one time or another in their lifetime. The fact is that our credit rating has a very large effect on our every day lives. Always remember that the better your credit becomes the more money you can and most certainly will save on a variety of things such as; mortgage rates, credit card interest, car payments to name but a few.



Stick to a budget and both you and your credit will be happier for it. Good luck.

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Author Bio

Garret Belisle authors for www.need-to-get-some.blogspot.com, he is also a business consultant for several companies within his community. This is a fun blog that changes daily, not keeping to any particular topic. Check it out, you never know what you'll read (or possibly learn:-)

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Apply for Credit Cards Online

Benefits Of Applying Online For Credit Cards If You Have Bad Credit
By Duran Mueller

A life without credit cards is unimaginable. But, people with bad credit face a
lot of rejections when the apply for credit cards. This humiliating experience
can be quite taxing. It's not that credit card companies don't issue credit
cards to bad credit people, they do. But, finding the right credit card can be a
daunting task if you have to run from bank to bank and hear a big No from a
majority of them. So, how to reduce this burden and get a credit card for bad
credit easily? Apply online is the answer. The benefits listed below will
reinforce this statement.

1. No personal rejections

While applying online you don't have to face anybody. Just fill in a form and
wait for an email or call. No, humiliating rejections to face personally.
Everything is communicated in a way which is more easy to cope with.

2. Hassle free

You don't have to run to every desk in the bank to find out where are people
with bad credit dealt with. There is a special section on each of the websites,
exclusive for people with bad credit. Just login and go to your section. No
personal interaction needed with any nagging staff. Isn't it cool? there are a lot of conveniences with online applications that can be had. Everything that you will ever need for a bad credit credit card application is available online. Every form and declaration that you need can easily be downloaded and printed out. After filling them out, you can then just have them scanned or scan them yourselves and upload it to your computer and send it back.

3. Very less paper work

The application form for credit cards are entirely online and can be filled
on your computer itself. Moreover, if a credit card company requires something
to be faxed, it will most probably be available as a download. Simply download,
print and fax it. You can do it from the convenience of your home or office. No
time wasted.

4. Quick turnaround times

If you fill in all the details online correctly most banks will give you an
in principle approval instantly. Others who don't do it instantly will also
reply within few days. Some of the banks, if they find that you are not eligible
for a current offer but qualify for some other offer, will promptly send you the
details.

5. More information on fingertips

Need more help regarding credit cards for bad credit people. There are tons
of resources online. Just google your problem and you are sure to find a
satisfying solution. Want to compare two or more credit cards? It can be done in a jiffy.

In short the benefits of applying online for credit card with bad credit are
enormous. You can find quotes from different credit card companies without
facing the harassment, humiliation and paperwork of offline processes.

Duran Mueller an expert author and credit card consultant, provides great American express credit card tips. Read more credit card articles at his credit card website.

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