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CREDIT
BUREAUS & REPORTS
When
am I entitled to a FREE credit report?
You are entitled to
a free credit report after the denial of credit, if you believe
you are the victim of identity theft, if you receive welfare
benefits or if you are unemployed. Section 501 of the Fair
and Accurate Credit Transactions Act states that consumer reporting
agencies, upon the request of a consumer, will make all disclosures
once during any 12 month period without charge to the consumer.
Do
I need to contact each of the 3 credit bureaus when I become
a victim of a financial crime?
Under the Fair and Accurate
Credit Transactions Act, when you place a call to one of the
3 major credit bureaus and place a fraud alert or victim statement
on your report, that alert or statement will also be placed
on your credit reports with the other 2 credit bureaus.
POLICE
REPORTS
Why
is it important to file a police report?
Filing a police report
with your local or state police is important because it provides
authorities with a concise statement of the crime that has occurred
and lets creditors or businesses know that you are serious about
resolving the issue. In addition, many creditors require a police
report to resolve your dispute and credit bureaus will automatically
block the fraudulent accounts and bad debts from appearing on your
credit report. In Pennsylvania, "a report to a law enforcement
agency by a person stating that the person's identifying information
has been lost or stolen or that the person's identifying information
has been used without the person's consent shall be prima facie
evidence that the identifying information was possessed or used
without the person's consent.
What
do I do if my local police tell me that they can't file a police
report for identity theft outside of their jurisdiction?
A resolution
by the International Association of Chiefs of Police has mandated
that the area in which you live is the proper place to file your
report. Stress to the police that even if they cannot investigate
the crime, you still need a report to provide to creditors or credit
bureaus to block your accounts or resolve disputes. Your local
police department also should have access to the Federal Trade
Commission's Consumer Sentinel database, which lists other complaints
and patterns of financial crime in your area.
SCAMS
How
can I tell the difference between a scam and a legitimate offer
or business opportunity?
No advice is better than the old saying, "if
it sounds too good to be true than it probably is!" When was
the last time you won money from a lottery that you never played?
Why is it that people whom you've never met suddenly want to transfer
millions of dollars to you? How come someone will pay triple your
price for an item on Ebay and ask you to return the excess payment?
Because in all of these instances you are being solicited to take
part in a scam and criminals know that the thought of easy money
will force a small minority of unsuspecting consumers to let their
guard down.
If
you are unsure of an offers legitimacy, do your homework and ask
plenty of questions either to the representative on the phone or
via email. Be wary of offers that rush you into making a decision
or that ask you to "keep this a secret." Look
for grammatical errors or untruths, and words like "no-risk" or "once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity." Contact the Financial
Crimes Task Force, the
Federal Trade Commission or your state's Office of Consumer Protection
to see whether they have ever heard of the offer or received similiar
complaints.
SOCIAL
SECURITY NUMBERS
Who
has a right to request my social security number?
Only a handful
of agencies or companies have a legal right to ask you for your
social security number. These include the Internal Revenue Service,
your state Department of Motor Vehicles and Department of Welfare.
In addition, your banks, financial insititutions and those companies
which provide you credit may also request your social security
number. Other than that, you should question any other company
or agency which asks you for your social security number.
What
should I do if my social security number is misused?
In addition
to contacting the appropriate law enforcement agency, make sure
you contact the Social Security Administration Fraud Hotline at
1-800-269-0271 or write to the SSA Fraud Hotline, P.O. Box 17768,
Baltimore, MD 21235.
Can
I be issued a new social security number?
Under certain circumstances
you can be issued a new social security number but there are no
guarantees that this number won't be misused as well. While you
may resolve your current problem, a new social security number
may affect your ability to get approved for new credit. Furthermore,
credit bureaus may simply combine your credit history from your
old social security number with your new number. Consider these
circumstances carefully before contacting the Social Security Administration.
U.S.
MAIL
How
can I be sure that identity thieves are not forwarding my mail
without my knowledge?
The Postal Service implements a process to circumvent the fraudulent
submission of change of address orders. The Customer Notification
(Move Validation) Letter is a notification to postal customers who
have submitted change of address (COA) orders (PS Form 3575, Change
of Address Order). The notification is mailed to Postal Service customers
at their old address and includes details of the COA order, providing
customers an opportunity to verify the COA information on file with
the Postal Service. If a potentially fraudulent situation exists,
the customer is instructed to contact the local Post Office for assistance.
Answer taken from the 2003 Comprehensive Statement on Postal Operations,
USPS.
