Prevent credit fraud and report credit card scams.

prevent credit fraud and report credit card fraud.

Report credit fraud. You can prevent credit fraud, identity theft and scams if you secure your documents, review your credit report, and report fraud the instant it occurs.

To see if you're the victim of credit fraud, check your free credit report.

Get a FREE Credit Report Copy Online

Check & dispute possible inaccuracies. Detect critical changes and potential identity fraud. Monitor your credit report to catch ID fraud early.

Credit obtained fraudulently may go undetected until the charges become past due and creditors come looking for you. To find out what credit has been placed in your name, order a credit report and look for unexplained activity.

Report credit card fraud and identity theft to all police and sheriff's departments within jurisdiction. Credit card companies and banks may require you to show the report in order to convince them of your innocence. If they don't believe you, they may hold you responsible for bounced checks, charges made in your name, etc. Give the police/sheriff's department as much evidence as possible, and get a copy of your police report. Get the direct phone number to your detective or the official taking the report.

If you're the victim of internet fraud, contact the FBI internet fraud center

Identity theft protection
Don't place bills in your mailbox with the flag up. Thieves can snatch the envelopes right out of the box and then alter the 'pay to' and amount lines.

Pay attention to your billing cycles and contact creditors if bills don't arrive on time. It may mean that someone is intercepting your mail.

Cancel all unused credit cards so thieves can't get those account numbers from your credit report.

Keep your Social Security card, birth certificate and other identifying papers in a safe place, not in your wallet. Stash a list of your creditors, along with phone numbers, in the same place in case your credit cards are stolen.

Pick up newly ordered checks at the bank to avoid having blank checks in your mailbox.

Check your credit report annually. Report any suspicious activity immediately.

Make sure no one can see you punch in your PIN or password at the ATM or retailer, or your telephone card number at a pay phone.

Keep documents with personal information, such as canceled checks, in a safe place and shred them or tear them up when you don't need them anymore. Documents that you should shred or tear up include charge receipts, copies of credit applications, bank checks, ATM receipts and insurance forms.

Suspect you're the victim of identity theft?

Contact creditors about questionable items and close accounts you believe are fraudulent or have unauthorized transactions.

Call the fraud department at each of the major credit bureaus to ask that a "fraud alert" be placed in your file, so that lenders will be alerted to the fact that you may be a fraud victim. Ask that the fraud alert state that you do not want new credit extended without contacting you first, and ensure your name/address/phone number are all correct.

Contact the local police to file a report. Keep a copy in case you need it later as proof of the crime.

Report credit fraud to the FTC, which will store the information in its database so it can be accessed by law enforcement agencies. The FTC can provide information on steps victims should take and sometimes will refer cases to other government agencies or private organizations for further action.

Fraud and Scam Tips - Knowing some information about fraud and scams can help prevent you from becoming a victim. Many consumers have become victims of credit card scams and fraud without even knowing it for a while. Keeping your credit card information secret can stop criminals before they ruin your credit.

If you shop on the Internet you need to know about phishing. Phishing is when someone contacts you through a pop-up message or email message asking that you give confidential information to update your account. The bogus message provides a link to click on that will take you to a dummy site. Once at the bogus site, you will be asked to re-enter information such as your social security number and credit card number. If you do, the scam begins and within hours your credit card account has been compromised. Most consumers don't discover they have been scammed until days later. You may try to use your credit card and find it is maxed out. The best way to avoid such a scam is to never answer any emails asking for your personal account information.
Another common scam is when your credit card becomes stuck inside an ATM machine. While you’re trying to retrieve it a person will approach you and offer to help. The person will offer to hold a cancel button while you keep entering your pin number. They are memorizing your pin number. When you leave, the person and your credit card will disappear. Keep people from seeing your pin number.
The card cleaner scam is another popular scam. A so-called card cleaner is placed either on top of an ATM machine or along side of the magnetic strip reader. When you run your card through, the cleaner collects your card information. These card cleaners read up to several hundred credit card numbers and then the thieves remove them. Don't ever run your card through one of these magnetic strip readers.
Thieves are getting more and more technologically savvy. One scam that is difficult to see is the fake ATM machine or the fake keypad. With the fake ATM machine you run your card through a magnetic strip reader and then wait for your cash but the cash never comes. You usually see a screen that says ‘out of order’ or ‘out of cash.’ Call your credit card company or bank immediately and report the fraud. To prevent this, you could use the same ATM for all of your cash withdrawal transactions. If at anytime you notice anything that looks unusual, don't use the ATM machine.
Another scam to get your cash is when the scammer places a sleeve into the cash dispenser. When you try to withdraw the cash, there appears to be no cash. When you leave, the criminal is nearby walks up to the machine and removes the sleeve and your cash.
The most frequent form of credit card fraud happens when you pay for items using your credit card. If the store is busy, a cashier could lay your credit card down or you could lay it down while waiting. A trained thief can quickly memorize your credit card number. Always keep your credit card in your hand until the cashier needs it and make sure to get it back immediately.
Monitor all your credit card accounts and statements frequently for fraud. If you lose your card or suspect fraud, report it immediately. The sooner you report fraud, the faster your credit card company may be able to catch the thief.

Read our latest article regarding fraud, and join our online financial newsletter so you can receive alerts.

Identity Theft Reporting and Victim Rights

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your name, Social Security number, date of birth, or other identifying information (without authority), to commit fraud. For example, someone may have committed identity theft by using your personal information to open a credit card account or get a loan in your name. For more information, visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft or write to: FTC, Consumer Response Center, Room 130-B, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C., 20580.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives you specific rights when you are, or believe that you are, the victim of identity theft. Here is a brief summary of the rights designed to help you recover from identity theft.

You have the right to ask that nationwide consumer reporting agencies place "fraud alerts" in your file to let potential creditors and others know that you may be a victim of identity theft. A fraud alert can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you. It also may delay your ability to obtain credit. You may place a fraud alert in your file by calling just one of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies. As soon as that agency processes your fraud alert, it will notify the other two, which then also must place fraud alerts in your file.

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com
Experian: 1-888-397-3742; www.experian.com
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com

An initial fraud alert stays in your file for at least 90 days. An extended alert stays in your file for seven years. To place either of these alerts, a consumer reporting agency will require you to provide appropriate proof of your identity, which may include your Social Security number. If you ask for an extended alert, you will have to provide an identity theft report. An identity theft report includes a copy of a report you have filed with a federal, state, or local law enforcement agency, and additional information a consumer reporting agency may require you to submit. For more detailed information about the identity theft report, visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

You have the right to free copies of the information in your file (your "file disclosure"). An initial fraud alert entitles you to a copy of all the information in your file at each of the three nationwide agencies, and an extended alert entitles you to two free file disclosures in a 12-month period following the placing of the alert. These additional disclosures may help you detect signs of fraud, for example, whether fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name or whether someone has reported a change in your address. Once a year, you also have the right to a free copy of the information in your file at any consumer reporting agency, if you believe it has inaccurate information due to fraud, such as identity theft. You also have the ability to obtain additional free file disclosures under other provisions of the FCRA. See www.ftc.gov/credit.

You have the right to obtain documents relating to fraudulent transactions made or accounts opened using your personal information. A creditor or other business must give you copies of applications and other business records relating to transactions and accounts that resulted from the theft of your identity, if you ask for them in writing. A business may ask you for proof of your identity, a police report, and an affidavit before giving you the documents. It also may specify an address for you to send your request. Under certain circumstances, a business can refuse to provide you with these documents. See www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

You have the right to obtain information from a debt collector. If you ask, a debt collector must provide you with certain information about the debt you believe was incurred in your name by an identity thief - like the name of the creditor and the amount of the debt.

If you believe information in your file results from identity theft, you have the right to ask that a consumer reporting agency block that information from your file. An identity thief may run up bills in your name and not pay them. Information about the unpaid bills may appear on your consumer report. Should you decide to ask a consumer reporting agency to block the reporting of this information, you must identify the information to block, and provide the consumer reporting agency with proof of your identity and a copy of your identity theft report. The consumer reporting agency can refuse or cancel your request for a block if, for example, you don't provide the necessary documentation, or where the block results from an error or a material misrepresentation of fact made by you. If the agency declines or rescinds the block, it must notify you. Once a debt resulting from identity theft has been blocked, a person or business with notice of the block may not sell, transfer, or place the debt for collection.

You also may prevent businesses from reporting information about you to consumer reporting agencies if you believe the information is a result of identity theft. To do so, you must send your request to the address specified by the business that reports the information to the consumer reporting agency. The business will expect you to identify what information you do not want reported and to provide an identity theft report.

To learn more about identity theft and how to deal with its consequences, visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft, or write to the FTC. You may have additional rights under state law. For more information, contact your local consumer protection agency or your state attorney general.

In addition to the new rights and procedures to help consumers deal with the effects of identity theft, the FCRA has many other important consumer protections. They are described in more detail at www.ftc.gov/credit.

Credit Report Locking
A security freeze on your credit report will prohibit a credit reporting agency from releasing your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent a credit reporting agency from releasing your credit report without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who is allowed access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, , government services or payments, rental housing, , investment, license, cellular telephone, utilities, digital signature, Internet credit card transaction or other services, including an extension of credit at point of sale. When you place a security freeze on your credit report, you will be provided a personal identification number or password to use if you choose to remove the security freeze from your credit report or to authorize the temporary release of your credit report for a specific party or specific period of time while the security freeze is in place. To provide that authorization, you must contact the credit reporting agency and provide all the following:

1. Proper identification.

2. The unique personal identification number or password provided by the credit reporting agency.

3. The proper information regarding the third party who is to receive the credit report or the time period for which your credit report must be available.

A credit reporting agency must remove the security freeze from your credit file or authorize the temporary release of your credit report not later than 3 business days after receiving the above information.

A security freeze does not apply to certain persons, including a person, or collection agencies acting on behalf of a person, with whom you have an existing account that requests information in your credit report for the purposes of reviewing or collecting the account.

To place security freezes on your credit reports, call or visit each bureau's website for instructions:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com

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Credit Card Offers

Credit Report Bureaus: If you have bad credit or no credit, order your annual free credit report copy to check for credit report errors.

Free tips and advice on how to fix credit report errors and more quickly improve credit scores.

Find out who's been looking at your credit report or trying to steal your identity.

Rate your own credit using our free credit check calculator. Browse for more credit report resources.

Auto Loan: Get free quotes and apply for a new or used auto loan or for auto refinancing.

Credit Card: Search for secured and unsecured credit card applications and apply online. Applications for all types of cards ranging from an instant approval bad credit card to no deposit cards, including platinum credit card rewards.

Credit Report: Free credit report help to fix credit report errors and improve credit score ratings. You are entitled to one free credit report annually.

Debt Counseling: Get your expenses under control with credit counseling, an unsecured debt consolidation loan, debt management or negotiate debt settlement.

Free Credit Offers: Get no obligation, free credit offers plus financial tips to help effectively manage your personal finances.

Home Loan: Free multiple quotes from mortgage lenders. Apply for a new home loan and start building your financial security.

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Payday Loan: Easy approval bad credit unsecured loan with no credit check, no deposit and no security.

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Search our free credit help resources and apply for financial services. The credit crisis may have prompted stricter credit card company and loan lender approval standards, but poor credit people can still find bad credit financing.

Visit our fraud learning center.