Identity Theft

Fight identity theft by monitoring and reviewing your credit report. To order your free annual report from one or all the national consumer reporting companies, visit www.annualcreditreport.com, call toll-free 877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. You can print the form from ftc.gov/credit. Do not contact the three nationwide consumer reporting companies individually; they provide free annual credit reports only through www.annualcreditreport.com, 877-322-8228, and Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

Under federal law, you're also entitled to a free report if a company takes adverse action against you, such as denying your application for credit, insurance or employment, and you request your report within 60 days of receiving notice of the action. The notice will give you the name, address, and phone number of the consumer reporting company that supplied the information about you. You're also entitled to one free report a year if you're unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days; you're on welfare; or your report is inaccurate because of fraud. Otherwise, a consumer reporting company may charge you up to $9.50 for any other copies of your report.

To buy a copy of your report, contact:

• Equifax: 800-685-1111; www.equifax.com
• Experian: 888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742); www.experian.com
• TransUnion: 800-916-8800; www.transunion.com

Helpful Links:

• Financial Fraud and Theft: How to Protect Yourself
• Can You Spot a Scam?
• Your Wallet: A Loser's Manual
• Fraud Alert: Text Messages, Pop-Ups and Downloads to Avoid
• Social Networking Sites Attract Online Criminals
• Fight Identity Theft - Sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission