What To Do if Your Identity Has Been Compromised
August 12, 2007
Thieves can get your personal information in many ways. Security breaches, phishing, stolen wallet, dumpster diving, hacking into your computer…
If you think someone may have gotten your personal information, you MUST act quickly to protect yourself. That means - do it now.
Place a Fraud Alert on your credit report. It will last for 90 days. You can call one of the credit reporting agencies and they will contact the other two. However, I suggest you personally call all three of them to be sure it’s done immediately.
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
Get your credit report. You can get a free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com - 1-877-332-8228. You’re entitled to one free report from each credit reporting agencies every year. Just get one right now. Next month, get one from another company. If everything is still ok at this point, wait 90 days to order your third free one.
If you find accounts you haven’t personally opened on your credit report, that means your identity has been stolen and you must take more steps to protect yourself. Find out what to do if your identity has been stolen.
my wallet got stolen. it had my ID and SS card in it! i dont know what to do. im scared of identity theft. i have already reported it to the police but i have no idea what else to do! i feel like im going to cry
I hope you’ve placed the fraud alerts and have gotten your credit reports. Keep renewing the fraud alerts. They expire every 90 days.
Please don’t carry your SS card anymore. You only need it when you’re applying for a job.