Legal Articles
Identity Theft and Credit Reports
By Patrick Russell, Esq.
Sep 8, 2004 - 5:42:00 PM

Fraud on the internet and identity theft have reached all time highs.  Internet fraud has grown to cost consumers 54 billion dollars a year.  Identity theives are working harder and becoming more clever in the ways that they acquire information about you.  Once your social security number, birth date and other relevant information is obtained, thieves can start applying for credit and charge cards on your behalf.  Often, you will not find out until it is much too late as the invoices and statements for the goods purchased without your knowledge are mailed to addresses that the Identity Thieves provided when the account was established. 

As a precaution, it is always a good idea to periodically check your own credit for unauthorized credit accounts, credit applications, and charges.  There are three major credit reporting companies that you can contact for a copy of your report.  The following contact information can assist you in protecting yourself:

Experian: 888-397-3742

Equifax: 800-685-1111

Trans Union: 800-916-8800

In the event that you lose your wallet, identification, credit cards, or see any suspicious activity on your credit reports, you should immediately place a fraud alert on your credit report so that merchants are aware that there may be a problem with charges on your account.  Placing an alert on your account can be accomplished by contacting the credit reporting agencies at the following numbers:

Experian: 888-397-3742

Equifax: 800-525-6285

Trans Union: 800-680-7289 

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