Your credit report is perhaps one of the most important documents used to identify and distinguish you from others. Your creditors report your payment history in your individual credit report file. Your credit report is then used by other credit granting agencies to determine your credit worthiness. You should order your credit report every year. Verify that your credit report is accurate and that it includes only activities authorized by you. Should you find any discrepancies or inconsistencies, please contact the credit bureau and follow the procedures for making corrections to your credit report. Always know what your creditors are saying about you.
TransUnion: 800-916-8800, www.transunion.com Experian: 888-397-3742, www.experian.com/ Equifax: 800-685-1111, www.equifax.com/personal/ You may also contact www.annualcreditreport.com to receive a free credit report annually.
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Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personally identifying information such as your name and Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information. For identity thieves, this information is as good as gold. Skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information, including:
What do thieves do with a stolen identity? Once they have your personal information, identity thieves us it in a variety of ways: Credit card fraud:
Phone or utilities fraud:
Credit Union/finance fraud:
Government documents fraud:
Other fraud:
How can you find out if your identity was stolen? The best way find out is to monitor your accounts and bank statements each month, and check your credit report on a regular basis. If you check your credit report regularly, you may be able to limit the damage caused by identify theft. Unfortunately, many members learn that their identity has been stolen after some damage has been done:
Filing a police report, checking your credit reports, notifying creditors, and disputing any unauthorized transaction are some steps you must take immediately to restore your good name. Should you file a police report if your identity is stolen? A police report that provides specific details of the identity theft is considered an Identity theft Report, which entitles you to certain legal rights when it is provided to the three major credit reporting agencies or to companies where the thief misused your information. An Identity Theft Report can be used to permanently block fraudulent information that results from identity theft, such as accounts or addresses, from appearing on your credit report. It will also make sure the debts do not reappear on your credit reports. Identity Theft Reports can prevent a company from continuing to collect debts that result from identity theft, or selling them to others for collection. An Identity Theft Report is also needed to place an extended fraud alert on your credit report. You may not need an Identity Theft Report if the thief made charges on an existing account and you have been able to work with the company to resolve the dispute. Where an identity thief has opened new accounts in your name, or where fraudulent charges have been reported to the consumer reporting agencies, you should obtain an Identity Theft Report so that you can take advantage of the protections you are entitled to. In order for a police report to entitle you to the legal rights mentioned above, it must contain specific details about the identity theft. You should file an ID Theft complaint with the FTC and bring your printed ID Theft Complaint with you to the police station when you file your police report. The printed ID Theft Complaint can be used to support your local police report to ensure that it includes the detail required. A police report is also needed to get copies of the thief’s application, as well as transaction information from companies that dealt with the thief. To get this information, you must submit a request in writing, accompanied by the police report, to the address specified by the company for this purpose. How long can the effects of identity theft last? It‘s difficult to predict how long the effects of identity theft may linger. That’s because it depends on many factors including the type of theft, whether the thief sold or passed your information on to other thieves, whether the thief is caught, and problems related to correcting your credit report. Victims of identity theft should monitor financial records for several months after they discover the crime. Victims should review their credit reports once every three months in the first year of the theft, an once a year thereafter. Stay alert for other signs of identity theft. Don’t delay in correcting your records and contacting all companies that opened fraudulent accounts. Make the initial contact by phone, even though you will normally need to follow up in writing. The longer the inaccurate information goes uncorrected, the longer it will take to resolve the problem. What can you do to help fight identity theft? A great deal. Awareness is an effective weapon against many forms identity theft. Be aware of how information is stolen and what you can do to protect yours. Monitor your personal information to uncover any problems quickly, and know what to do when you suspect your identity has been stolen. Armed with the knowledge of how to protect yourself and take action, you can make identity thieves’ jobs much more difficult. You can also help fight identity theft by educating your friends, family, and members of your community. Phishing is a scam that attempts to lure you into providing personal information so that it can be used to steal your identity. If a phone call seems suspicious, hang up and call the company back using a telephone number you have for them (NOT a number the caller gives you) to check whether it is a legitimate inquiry. If an e-mail looks suspicious or is from an unknown source, do not click on any links, provide any information or open any attachments.
Please be aware, Memphis Municipal Employees FCU DOES NOT send text messages asking for you to reply or to call a specific number. If you should ever receive a message like this, do not respond to the number in the text and contact the credit union 901-528-2816 Ext 207 to report it. Your security is our top priority. What to Watch Out For: • Required personal and confidential information, including SSN, account number(s), login ID numbers, etc. • Threaten to close or suspend your account(s). • States that your account has been compromised and you need to confirm your information. • Asks you to enter an account access code or personal password. What to Do If You're a Victim: • Change your Account Access password from an uninfected PC. • Ensure that you have a current firewall, anti-virus software and spyware detection software installed on your PC. • Run a virus scan on your PC, and clean up any viruses or Trojans that are detected. • Change your Account Access password. |
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