Spam Laws HOME

If a person becomes a victim of identity theft, that person can have fraud alerts placed on his/her credit reports. There are two types of fraud alerts: an initial alert, and an extended alert.[br][br]The initial fraud alert will stay on your credit report for about three months. This type of alert can be placed on your credit report if you you have become a victim of identity theft. You would put an initial alert on your credit report if you experience certain conditions conducive to identity theft including having your wallet stolen, or being taken in a "phishing" scam. By placing an initial fraud alert on your credit report, you are telling potential creditors they must contact you to verify your identity before they can issue credit to you. However, some creditors use unscrupulous means to review your credit report. For this reason, you should specify that your social security number be encrypted or hidden so they can't see it. [br][br]The other kind of alert is the extended fraud alert. This alert stays on your credit report for up to seven years. You can have an extended fraud alert placed on your credit report if you have been a victim of identity theft and have an Identity Theft Report filed with the consumer reporting agency. [br][br]With an extended fraud alert, any potential creditor must contact you or see you in person, to verify your credit, before they can issue credit to you. Plus, your name must be removed from marketing lists which sends pre-screened credit offers to you, for up to five years. [br]

Reply