Steps Veterans Can Take to Guard Against ID Theft

1. Monitor financial statements and credit reports for suspicious activity

What do you mean by ‘suspicious activity?’

Suspicious activities could include the following:

Inquiries from companies you haven’t contacted or done business with

Purchases or charges on your accounts you didn't make

New accounts you didn’t open or changes to existing accounts you didn’t make

Bills that don’t arrive as expected

Unexpected credit cards or account statements

Denials of credit for no apparent reason

Calls or letters about purchases you didn't make

Free Credit Reports
By law you are entitled to one free credit report each year. Request a free credit report from one of the three major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, TransUnion – at www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.

2. If I discover suspicious or unusual activity, then what?

The Federal Trade Commission recommends the following four steps if you detect suspicious activity:

Step 1 – Contact the fraud department of one of the three major credit bureaus:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, Texas 75013

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289: www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Step 2 – Close any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.

Step 3 – File a police report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place.

Step 4 – File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by using the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline by telephone: 1-877-438-4338, online at www.consumer.gov/idtheft, or mail at Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20580.

For more information on the latest developments please call Canwell’s office at 1-888-648-7328, call 1-800-FED-INFO (1-800-333-4636) or go to http://www.firstgov.gov/veteransinfo.


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Maria's Monday Memo To sign up for Maria's weekly newsletter, enter your email address: Search The Site	Identity Theft Steps Veterans Can Take to Guard Against ID Theft 1. *Monitor financial statements and credit reports for suspicious activity* *What do you mean by ‘suspicious activity?’* Suspicious activities could include the following: Inquiries from companies you haven’t contacted or done business with Purchases or charges on your accounts you didn't make New accounts you didn’t open or changes to existing accounts you didn’t make Bills that don’t arrive as expected Unexpected credit cards or account statements Denials of credit for no apparent reason Calls or letters about purchases you didn't make *Free Credit Reports* By law you are entitled to one free credit report each year. Request a free credit report from one of the three major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, TransUnion – at www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228. 2. *If I discover suspicious or unusual activity, then what?* The Federal Trade Commission recommends the following four steps if you detect suspicious activity: Step 1 – Contact the fraud department of one of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, Texas 75013 TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289: www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790 Step 2 – Close any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Step 3 – File a police report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Step 4 – File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by using the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline by telephone: 1-877-438-4338, online at www.consumer.gov/idtheft, or mail at Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20580. For more information on the latest developments please call Canwell’s office at 1-888-648-7328, call 1-800-FED-INFO (1-800-333-4636) or go to http://www.firstgov.gov/veteransinfo.
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