Senior Resource Center

Here's a more detailed explanation:

What is a Fraud Alert?

A fraud alert is a notice placed on your credit report that signals to creditors that you may be a victim of identity theft or fraud.

It encourages or requires lenders to take extra steps to verify your identity before opening a new credit account in your name or making changes to existing accounts.

It's a way to help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name.

Contact one of the three major credit bureaus:

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

Experian: 1-888-397-3742; www.experian.com

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com

When you place a fraud alert on one credit report, that credit bureau is required to inform the others .

You can also place a fraud alert online through the credit bureaus' websites .

You can also place a fraud alert by mail ….but we suggest calling them immediately!

👉🏻Initial One-Year Alert:

This is the standard fraud alert, which lasts for one year and is renewable.

👉🏻Extended Fraud Alert:

This alert lasts for seven years and is for those who are victims of identity theft.

👉🏻Active Duty Alert:

This alert is for members of the armed forces on active duty and lasts for one year. 

Report incidents of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-438-4338 or TTY 1-866-653-4261, or online at http://consumer.ftc.gov/.../0277-create-identity-theft... .

🚨 Consider freezing your credit reports if you are concerned about identity theft .

🚨 Regularly check your credit reports for any unauthorized activity. Each American citizen is entitled to one free credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies EACH YEAR, so you can better monitor activity.

THIS is the ONLY legitimate site for this benefit. 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

https://www.annualcreditreport.com