If you choose to activate a fraud alert with the national credit bureaus, the following steps will guide you through the process. 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. While it will not affect your credit, it may also delay your ability to obtain credit.

To place an alert on your credit report, or to have the alert removed, you will be required to provide appropriate proof of your identity:  that may include your SSN, name, address, and other personal information requested by the consumer reporting company.

1. Notify one of the three credit reporting agencies listed below to request a fraud alert. This can be completed by phone or on the Internet.
   • Equifax Fraud Dept.: (800) 525-6285; http://www.equifax.com
   • Experian Fraud Dept.: (888) 397-3742; http://www.experian.com
   • TransUnion Fraud Dept.: (800) 680-7289; http://www.transunion.com
     
     
2. The credit reporting agency that you contacted will, in turn, notify the other two agencies for you. It is not necessary to contact all three. Each of the credit reporting agencies will place a fraud alert on your credit file. This will alert creditors to confirm your identity before extending credit. This initial fraud alert is effective for ninety (90) days.
   
   
3. After you request the initial fraud alert, you will receive a follow-up letter from each of the three credit reporting agencies explaining how you can order a free copy of your credit report. Take advantage of these offers and upon receipt of the credit reports, verify that the information is accurate, and examine the reports for any suspicious activities. If you find fraudulent or inaccurate information on your credit bureau report, immediately report it to the respective credit bureau(s). Continue to check your credit reports periodically.
   
   
4. Document everything. Keep all notes of phone calls and other correspondence.
   
   
5. Federal legislation has required the credit reporting agencies to issue free annual credit reports upon request. Regardless of this incident, we believe that requesting these annual free credit reports from each of the three agencies is a good precautionary practice to monitor your credit.  To order free credit reports, visit http://www.annualcreditreport.com or 1-877-322-8228.

For more information on how to guard against and deal with identity theft, contact  the Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft or 1-877-438-4338.