How to Report Credit Theft

Quickly reporting credit card theft is the key to minimizing your loss from fraudulent transactions. Credit card fraud was the most common form of identity theft in 2008, according to the Consumer Sentinel Network (see References). If either your credit card or your credit card number has been stolen, reporting the loss can help ensure that your credit record remains unblemished. Credit card companies make it easy to report theft by providing 24-hour, toll-free customer service telephone lines.

Things You'll Need

• Credit card company telephone numbers Copies of your credit reports Copy of Federal Trade Commission report Copy of police identity theft report

Instructions

1. Call the credit card company or companies as soon as you notice your credit card is missing or you notice an unfamiliar charge on your credit card statement. Be sure to take notes about the call and write down the name of the customer service representative who took your call. Ask that your credit card account be closed and a new account opened with a new account number.

2. Contact one of the three U.S. credit reporting agencies and ask it to attach a fraud alert to your credit report. These agencies include TransUnion, Experian and Equifax (see Resources). Once a fraud alert has been placed, creditors will call you before opening new accounts in your name or making changes to existing accounts. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the company you call is required to contact the other two companies and ask that a fraud alert be placed on your reports with those agencies.

3. Request copies of your credit report from the credit reporting agencies. Because you have been a victim of fraud, you will be entitled to a free report from each agency. Carefully examine these reports for new accounts that you haven't opened, unexplained debts or inquiries from companies that you never contacted. Contact the companies involved for an explanation of these items, and mention that you have been a victim of credit card fraud.

4. File a complaint with the FTC. Your complaint can help the FTC track and find identity thieves. You can file a complaint online or by calling the FTC's toll-free hotline at [phone] (see References). Keep a copy for your records.

5. Get in touch with your local police department and ask if you can file an identity theft report. If your police department does not want to take a report, the FTC recommends asking to file a miscellaneous incident report instead or contacting the state police to file a report. Having a copy of the police report will help you dispute any amounts fraudulently charged to your account.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a copy of the front and back of your credit cards and place them in a safe, secure place. Should the cards be lost or stolen, you will have all of the information you need to contact the companies.

References

• Consumer Sentinel Network
• Federal Trade Commission
• U.S. Department of Justice

Resources

• TransUnion
• Experian
• Equifax