If you suspect that you’re a victim of identity theft, you should contact the 3 major credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—to alert them of the fraudulent activity.
Requesting a fraud alert
You can request a 90-day fraud alert on your credit report that lets creditors and lenders know that your information has been stolen. This helps prevent someone from taking out any new loans or opening a new account. While you only need to contact one of the major credit bureaus (the one you alert will contact the other two) to get a fraud alert for your credit report, it’s not a guaranteed way to prevent fraudulent accounts as some creditors may not conduct a thorough check before opening a new line of credit.
If you find evidence someone has used your information illegally, you can also extend the fraud alert to 7 years.
Freeze your credit
Putting a freeze on your credit report is an important step to help lessen the potential damage of identity theft. A credit freeze—also known as a security freeze—will prevent anyone from opening new credit card accounts or taking a loan out in your name without a PIN. Unlike a fraud alert, you’ll need to contact each of the 3 credit bureaus individually to request a credit freeze. After you verify your identity with the 3 bureaus, they’ll each provide you with a PIN that you can use to freeze or unfreeze your credit file.
How to report identity theft to the 3 credit bureaus
You can contact the 3 credit bureaus to request a fraud alert and credit freeze online or by calling their toll-free, automated phone numbers.