What To Do if Your Identity Has Been Compromised

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.