How to Report Attempted Credit Card Fraud

Credit card fraud is a serious problem and must be dealt with immediately.

The key to reporting attempted credit card fraud is timing. The sooner you make the report and the sooner it can be investigated and stopped, the less negative credit reporting you'll receive--and the fewer frustrating phone calls you'll have to make. As soon as you discover a discrepancy in your credit card history, report it and prepare prevention against future fraud.

Things You'll Need

• Credit report
• Credit card statements

Instructions

1. Monitor your credit with a free credit report from one of the three major credit agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. If you order through AnnualCreditReport.com (see Resources) you can see your credit report from all three agencies for free once per year. Checking all three is a good idea because sometimes information isn't reported to every agency. If there is a credit card account reported that you did not open, call the credit card company to cancel it immediately and file a report with the local police so they can investigate.

2. Check your credit card statements for any unknown purchases. Call the credit card company if you see any purchases you did not make--it can be one of the first signs of credit fraud. Tell the credit card company that you want a "fraud alert" placed on the card so they can monitor any future purchases.

3. Notify the credit reporting agencies listed in Step 1 so they can remove any negative reporting from the credit card fraud.

Tips & Warnings

• Only use credit card information on secure and trusted websites, and change online passwords often.

References

• National Check Fraud Center: Report Fraud

Resources

• Annual Credit Report: Free Credit Report