So the question is how can you fight back against these criminals and keep your good name intact as well as your credit and money?

The answer is to freeze credit reports and stop credit from being issued in your name. By freezing your credit, nobody can get your credit file or details to run up credit in your name leaving you to deal with the bill.

Who can put a freeze on their credit? Since 2003, almost everyone can put a credit freeze on his/her credit. Currently, most people simply put a fraud alert on their credit report and hope that solves their problems. The advantage of this is that the credit bureaus are supposed to alert you when a request for credit in your name is placed and verify with you that you indeed requested this new line of credit. The disadvantage with this method is that the creditors do not always call to request your permission or they ask very generic questions to verify the person they are speaking to is truly “you”. Unfortunately, if they already have enough information to apply for credit in your name, they can usually answer these generic questions also. With a credit freeze nobody can open any type of credit line under your. Meaning, your credit details are off limits to everyone even credit lenders, insurance companies and potential employers.

When your credit is requested, for example a credit card, the credit provider will call one of the three credit reporting companies to ask for access to your credit file. If you requested a freeze to your account, then the credit reporting company will tell the creditor that they don’t have access to you file since it is frozen. You can just about guarantee that no creditor in their right mind will proceed with granting any credit on an account where the owners have placed a freeze, without asking the person to lift the freeze. Of course an identity thief wouldn’t be able to do this without your pin and paying the fee to unfreeze the credit report.

What if I want credit? If you want credit or you need a background check for a potential employer, it is not a problem at all because the major credit reporting companies will give you an identification number or a PIN that allows you to freeze and unfreeze your credit report whenever you want. There is also a small fee that is charged to lock and unlock your credit.

If a criminal manages to get your credit file, with the protection of a credit freeze they don’t stand a chance at getting credit, no matter how good they are.

How do I get a Credit Freeze on my files? In order to freeze your credit, you will need to contact each of the three credit reporting companies. There is a fee but it is absolutely low considering the benefits of having a credit freeze on your account, the few dollars that are spent are worth knowing that your credit, and good name are protected and secured at all times.

What do the credit reporting agencies need? Each of the three credit reporting companies requires a certain procedure to be followed in order to have your credit report frozen. Below are the requirements needed for each company:

Equifax: Send a letter via email that contains your name, address, including previous addresses, social security number and your date of birth.

Experian: Mail a letter with full name, middle and other identifying names like Jr. or Sr. Also include you previous and current addresses going back five years, social security number, date of birth and proof of address like driver’s license, electric bills or bank statement.

TransUnion: Communication can be sent either by regular or certified mail, although certified mail is always a safer option. You will need to include your full name, including middle initials and any other parts to your name. You will need to provide your current mailing address and any other addresses dating back to the last five years, date of birth and social security numbers are also required.

Payment for the three credit reporting companies must be made by check, money order or by a credit card. If a credit card is the chosen option, then the name of the card, account number and expiration date must be included. ID theft victims should also put a valid copy of a police report, investigation report or a valid complaint that has been filed with a law enforcement agency.

Don’t be caught by criminals who prey on honest citizens by stealing their identity and running up expensive credit debt. Fight back, use a credit freeze and rest assured that your credit is safe from theft.

About The Author
Liz Roberts is a loan consultant with New Horizon Finance, specializing in bad credit,& has been providing consumers & business owners with financing since 1989.Join Experian Triple Advantage http://www.newhorizon.org/Info/experian.htm & get a free credit report & credit score. Bad Credit? Apply for bad credit credit cards, http://www.newhorizon.org/Info/unsecured.htm.

Don’t overlook the little things. Listen to your intuition. If you think something is wrong, it probably is. Ask the question and start with yourself – what is wrong with this picture? Take a step back and look around. Then ask the company or people you are dealing with the hard questions – why is that card reader so large? Why do you need my Social Security Number? Why do you need a photo copy of my driver’s license and credit card? Be vigilant when you are dealing with all things electronic – this is the easiest and fastest way for a thief to steal your identity. Let’s look at some common scenarios of electronic identity fraud.

ATMs
There has been ATM fraud using skimmers. A skimmer is a device that can be difficult to detect that is attached to an ATM that really shouldn’t be there. The skimmer is a card reader that captures the information stored on the magnetic stripe. Chances are there is also a hidden camera that records when you input your PIN number. Thieves can easily reproduce your bank card and steal from you without your knowledge until your bank account is empty. If you notice something odd with an ATM, do not use it. Head into the bank or call the 800 number on the machine to ask for assistance. Watch ATMs that you use frequently, if something looks different, do not use the machine and report it to the bank as soon as possible.

Phishing
Another form of electronic fraud is called phishing and it is done in many different ways. Usually, you will receive an email from your bank, from PayPal, Amazon, EBay, or another merchant, asking you to click a link and update your account information. Do not do it. This is a scam. Report the email immediately to the company that is being scammed for. None of these online merchants or financial institutions will send an email asking for your information to be updated. If they do need your information updated, it will appear when you login on the real site or they will contact you by phone.

Trust Funds and Free Money
We’ve all seen them. Someone from Nigeria has a trust fun that they will give you millions of dollars from if you help them. These have been running around for years both online and offline and there are new ones all the time. These are also phishing scams – they ask you for your bank account information so they can deposit your portion of the funds. Meanwhile, they are drawing from your account until it is empty. Do not fall prey to these emails – simply delete them and move on with your day. No one is going to give you a few million dollars for anything that is legal, even if it does sound enticing and legitimate.

You’ve won the Lottery or a Big Prize
How do you win a lottery or a prize that you never entered? And why do they need your bank information, your credit card number, your SSN? Unless you’ve actually entered a lottery or contest, chances are, this is a scam. If you did enter a lottery or contest, there is no need to give your bank account number or SSN, and no reason that you should pay for anything that you’ve won, not even for shipping. These are all red flags that say this is a scam.

Credit Card Fraud
Probably the biggest fraud out there, always watch your card. Never leave it on the table or with a waiter unattended. Check the receipt to ensure that not all of the numbers are visible on the receipt, if they are, cross out all of them except the last four digits. They have already scanned your card; they do not need a paper version of the number.

If you think you’ve been a victim of identity fraud, contact your local police as well as your financial institution, credit card companies and the credit reporting agencies immediately.

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Faithe Thomas is concerned about identity theft and online fraud. She designed a website to help victims and pre-victims: ://www.identity-fraud.info

Article Source: http://www.BestBlogArticles.com

The most common place that identity theft occurs is with credit cards. Think about it for a moment – if your purse or wallet was stolen, do you know your account numbers and what number to call for each of those credit cards to report a stolen card? Unfortunately, if you are like most people, you can find out but the information is not readily available to you. This is particularly true if you are out of town and your credit card statements are filed away back home.

The problem is that you cannot wait for a few days or a week to report your card stolen. There have been cases of people doing just that, and the credit card companies had a difficult time even believing them, since it is unthinkable that someone would wait several days to report a stolen credit card.

As a case in point, some friends of mine were vacationing out of the country, and while they were having lunch, the woman’s purse was very quietly and expertly stolen. She realized it within minutes but by then the thief was long gone. Thankfully, her husband who was a seasoned traveler, had a list of the credit card numbers and the phone numbers to call, which he always put in the hotel safe along with their passports whenever he traveled.

They got back to the hotel and immediately started calling the credit card companies to report the credit cards as stolen. This was occurring less than a half hour since the theft occurred. Almost all of the credit card companies had already seen transactions happening on the stolen cards! Less than 30 minutes!

If you are thinking to yourself that doing what this couple did was just too much trouble, think about what would happen if you were a victim of identity theft and did not know where to call, even delayed the call for a few hours or days? As the numerous victims of identity theft can attest to, this situation can take many months and even years to straighten out, as well as countless hours of your personal time.

In addition to being victimized, some people are using this as an excuse to get out of paying a credit card statement. They claim identity theft when no such thing has occurred, thinking the credit card company will just write off the debt. No, it is not quite that easy, and credit card companies have been very alert about this, although much to the detriment of people who really are a victim.

You should also check your credit report often, at least once a year if not more often. If you see accounts on there that you do not recognize, file a dispute immediately, since this is one of the first places you will see evidence of this theft, and reporting it quickly will help prevent identity theft.

Just a few common sense things will ensure that you are not an easy target, and if you take steps today to help prevent identity theft you may find that your efforts have paid off in spades because you did not become a victim.

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For more insights and additional information about you can help to Prevent Identity Theft please visit our web site at http://www.idtheftprotectiontips.com