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Article Directory :: Finance & Investment Articles
A stolen wallet can create big headaches for you if not handled properly. Not only because the thief may try and use your existing credit cards. The bigger issue involves all-out identity theft, which includes using your personal information to open new fraudulent accounts all over the place.
Contact your credit card issuers immediately by getting their phone numbers, along with your account numbers, from monthly billing statements. Have new cards issued with new numbers (if that is their standard policy). But don't stop there.
If your driver's license was stolen along with your wallet then contact your state's department of motor vehicles right away. Follow their procedures for having a "fraud alert" attached to your license number as you request a new license.
If any other cards were taken, such as those attached with memberships of any kind, then you'll need to call those organizations as well. Have fraud alerts posted to your accounts. Identity thieves typically use these types of accounts to establish the brand new "fraudulent" ones.
How can you know if any fraudulent accounts are opened?
The answer lies with the big 3 credit reporting agencies. Your profile and sensitive credit information is in their databases. Any new accounts, including ones resulting from fraud, will likely appear in them before you get any news from other sources.
Their phone numbers are as follows: Trans Union - 800-888-4213, Experian - 888-397-3742 and Equifax - 800-685-1111.
Ask each one to send you a free copy of your credit report. Then request a "fraud alert" be attached to your credit profile with each of them. Make sure you contact all 3 agencies.
Another way to obtain a free yearly credit report from all 3 credit reporting agencies is to visit the website www.annualcreditreport.com. You can get your credit reports fast this way. Just make sure you fully print out each report when it comes up on the screen.
The credit reports should tell you if fraud accounts already exist. But placing a fraud alert on file with the big 3 agencies is important because you never know when a fraudster might try and open up new accounts in your name.
Most fraud alerts are good for 90 days. And you can extend such alerts much longer if you want.
According to a recent survey, many identity theft crimes are connected directly to stolen wallets. The faster you deal with potential ID fraud issues by contacting credit reporting agencies the less problems you should have to deal with down the road if it comes to clearing up your credit profile.
Joe Farinaccio is the author of "ID Theft 911: Step-By-Step Instructions for Stopping Identity Fraud, Cleaning Up Your Credit Profile, and Getting Other Records Fixed" ... available at http://www.IdTheftHelp911.com
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