Identity Theft 3 D’s: Detect

March 14, 2008

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Note: This is Part 2 of a 3 part series. Part 1 was Deter Identity Theft.

Once you have taken the prevention steps, you want to make sure that you attempt to detect identity theft on an ongoing basis.

What Should I Look For?

There are a number of signs that you identity may have been stolen but here are a few:

You start getting calls or mail from debt collectors or creditors for stuff that you didn’t buy
You are denied credit and you can’t think of why that might be
You get a credit card in the mail that you didn’t apply for
You find something on your credit report that does not look familiar
You don’t receive a bill in the mail that you normally would
You are contacted about an apartment, house, or job that you don’t know anything about

How Do I Monitor Identity Theft?

Watch all the statements that you receive and act right away on any discrepancies
Check your credit report at least once a year. Look for anything weird that you can’t explain.
You can set up credit monitoring, and/or a fraud alert
If you want, you can sign up for an identity theft protection service such as TrustedID, LifeLock, or LoudSiren

How Do I Check My Credit Report?

The easiest way to check you report is to go to www.annualcreditreport.com.

Under Federal Law, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report at least once a year. You may also be entitled to free copies of you are denied credit, insurance, or employment.

Again, if you choose to sign up for TrustedID, LifeLock, or LoudSiren they will automatically request the report on your behalf.

If you want to buy a copy of your report directly from the bureau, you can do it at www.equifax.com, www.experian.com, or www.transunion.com.

Now that we’ve been through how to deter identity theft and detect identity theft, tomorrow we’ll talk about how to defend against and recover from identity theft.

The 3 D’s of Identity Theft

Identity Thief Thursday: Police Officer Charged with Identity Theft

The Best of Identity Thoughts: March 2008

Obama, McCain, and Clinton’s Passport Breach - Why You Should Be Concerned

House Stealing: Identity Theft + Mortgage Fraud = Big Problems

Category Posted in Identity Theft, Identity Theft Detection, LifeLock, Loudsiren, TrustedID, Uncategorized

3 Responses to “Identity Theft 3 D’s: Detect”

Identity Thoughts - Identity Theft Protection, Identity Theft Prevention said:

March 15th, 2008 at 6:35 am

[…] If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or get new posts via email. Thanks for visiting!Note: This is Part 3 of a 3 part series. Part 1 was Deter Identity Theft, and Part 2 was Detect Identity Theft. […]
Identity Thoughts - Identity Theft Protection, Identity Theft Prevention said:

March 22nd, 2008 at 8:23 pm

[…] than that, you want to take whatever steps you can to detect identity theft and protect yourself. You never know what underpaid and overworked crankpots are out […]
Identity Thoughts - Identity Theft Protection, Identity Theft Prevention said:

April 7th, 2008 at 9:07 pm

[…] Aside from the police officer angle, this is another example of identity theft or fraud committed by a loved one. As much as you like and trust your significant other, be careful and always be vigilant like this woman was to detect identity theft. […]