The nation's three major credit bureaus have teamed to simplify the process of notifying them about identity fraud. ID fraud victims can now make one toll-free call to any of the nationwide credit reporting companies and the company contacted will share that information with the other two. Each company will follow a standardized three-step process to post a security alert on the credit file, opt the victim out of preapproved offers of credit or insurance, and mail the victim a copy of his or her credit file. The company receiving the initial call will notify the victim of the ID fraud initiative and will electronically notify the other two credit reporting companies of the crime. A fraud alert will be put on the victim's credit report at all three nationwide credit reporting companies within 24 hours. The victim will be opted out of all preapproved offers of credit and insurance for two years. The victim's request for a copy of his or her credit report will be handled in no more than three business days. To contact the three major credit bureaus use these numbers:
The nation's three major credit bureaus have teamed to simplify the process of notifying them about identity fraud. ID fraud victims can now make one toll-free call to any of the nationwide credit reporting companies and the company contacted will share that information with the other two. Each company will follow a standardized three-step process to post a security alert on the credit file, opt the victim out of preapproved offers of credit or insurance, and mail the victim a copy of his or her credit file. The company receiving the initial call will notify the victim of the ID fraud initiative and will electronically notify the other two credit reporting companies of the crime. A fraud alert will be put on the victim's credit report at all three nationwide credit reporting companies within 24 hours. The victim will be opted out of all preapproved offers of credit and insurance for two years. The victim's request for a copy of his or her credit report will be handled in no more than three business days. To contact the three major credit bureaus use these numbers: