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Article:
How to Respond After Identity Theft Occurs by: Gary E. Cain Identity theft has become one of the most frequently reported crimes. But, maybe you are asking yourself: What is identity theft? I am glad you asked. Identity theft is the wrongful use of your name, birth date, social security number as well as financial records and banking information. An identity thief obtains this information by going through your trash, or by pretending to be a bank officer, or government official, or by creating a false web site that looks similar to your on-line banking web site, your on-line auction web site (ebay, for example), or your on-line shopping web site (yahoo shopping, for instance). This personal information is used to secure credit cards, bank loans, or to make furniture, and/or electronic goods purchases in YOUR name. However, when identity theft occurs, you have certain rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). In order to effectively respond to suspected identity theft you should or can: (1) Place a fraud alert in one of the three consumer reporting agencies and that agency will notify the other two consumer reporting agencies regarding your fraud alert. The agencies are : Equifax at 1-800-525-'6285
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