JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – News4JAX is helping you figure out if someone has stolen your identity, how to fight back, and how keep thieves from taking your identity in the first place.
Are you a victim of identity theft?
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With it being tax season, if the IRS tells you that it got more than one tax return in your name, that is a key sign someone else is using your identity. It’s called tax identity theft. A notice that you had income from an employer you don’t work for is another sign.
Also, with the pandemic, many filed for unemployment benefits. If you receive a notice from a state unemployment office or an employer about unemployment benefits you didn’t apply for, that’s a sign of fraud.
But if you don’t get those kinds of notifications, you could still be a victim and not even know it. To find out, there are easy steps to take.
Check credit reports
- Get your free credit reports from the three national credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) at AnnualCreditReport.com. https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action
- Look for new accounts: Any accounts you didn’t open like a new credit card, a personal loan, or a car loan will appear as a new account.
- Look for inquiries you don’t recognize: Things like a new cell phone plan or utility service — like water, gas, or electric — will show up as an inquiry.
Check bills and statements
Besides your credit reports, you also need to check your credit card statements, bank statements, your medical bills, along with your explanation of benefits statements. You’re looking to make sure there are no charges you don’t recognize, any withdrawals you didn’t make, or medical services that you did not receive. If you see anything on your medical statements you don’t recognize, you could be a victim of medical ID theft.
You think you’re a victim. What now?
If you think someone is using your personal information in a fraudulent way, the Federal Trade Commission recommends you go to its website IdentyTheft.gov. Once there, you will find step-by-step instructions to come up with a personalized recovery plan to take back control of your identity.
You’ll answer questions and give details about what happened and problems you spotted on your credit reports.
- The FTC will use that information you provide to create your personalized Identity Theft Report – which shows that someone stole your identity.
- The FTC will also create a personalized recovery plan and walk you through advice to help you fix any problems – including what to do first and foremost and then the next steps after that.
- Your plan will likely include sample letters to help you get your problems fixed.
- You’ll be directed on how to close new accounts opened in your name and remove charges made on your existing accounts.
- You’ll be advised to contact the three credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – on how to correct your credit report.
Protect yourself from becoming a victim
You may have heard of a credit freeze and a fraud alert. Both are free, but they do different things that can help protect your identity from being stolen. You can request freezes and alerts by contacting the three credit bureaus.
Credit freezes
The FTC says a credit freeze is the best way you can protect yourself and keep a thief from opening new accounts in your name.
Here’s how it works:
- When in place, it keeps potential creditors from accessing your credit report.
- Creditors won’t give credit unless they can check your credit report.
- Identity thieves will be blocked from opening accounts in your name.
The FTC says credit freeze is also helpful if you’ve already been a victim of ID theft. or had your information exposed in a data breach.
And the good news, the FTC says a credit freeze won’t affect your credit score, and you can still use your existing credit cards, can apply for a job, and you can rent an apartment. You can temporarily lift the freeze and then put it back in place. The freeze lasts until you remove it.
Fraud alerts
While a fraud alert doesn’t limit access to your credit report, it does tell a business to check with you before allowing a new account to be opened in your name. That typically means you’ll get a phone call to make sure the person trying to open a new account is really you.
A fraud alert lasts one year – but you can renew it for free. If you’ve experienced identity theft in the past, you can get an extended fraud alert that lasts seven years. In addition, the credit bureaus will take you off their marketing lists for unsolicited credit and insurance offers for five years, unless you ask them not to.
Protections for active-duty military
- Active-duty alerts
If you’re an active-duty service member, you can place a free, active-duty alert on your credit report by contacting the three credit bureaus.
The alert will make it harder for someone to open a new credit account in your name. It lasts one year, but you can renew it for the length of your deployment. The credit bureaus will take you off marketing lists for unsolicited credit and insurance offers for two years as well -- unless you ask them not to.
- Free credit monitoring
Free electronic credit monitoring is also available for active-duty military members. It can detect problems that might be the result of identity theft. You can sign up by contacting each of the three credit bureaus.
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