To help you monitor your credit usage, credit report monitoring is the basics. Keep in mind everyone is entitled to one free credit report annually and unlimited free reports if you feel you have been a victim of identity theft, have been denied credit, are unemployed, receive welfare, or other criteria.
The free reports are easily accessible from www.annualcreditreport.com. In order to access the reports, you will need to answer several security questions (which can be quite daunting) to verify your identity. However, even if you have a new address or don't otherwise pass these tests, you can still order your reports through the credit bureaus directly free of charge.
The phone numbers, addresses, and websites to your order the reports directly are:
| Equifax P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374 1-800-685-1111 www.equifax.com |
Experian P.O. Box 2002 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com |
TransUnion P.O. Box 1000 Chester, PA 19022 1-800-888-4213 www.transunion.com |
** If you are concerned that your privacy may have been compromised
Below are links to pages at the bureaus which will tell you how to place free alerts on your credit file as an added precaution.
Trans Union - Fraud Prevention
Equifax - Fraud Prevention
Experian - Fraud Prevention
Although there are many services, both through the bureaus and other companies that charge for credit monitoring, you should be able to do this yourself for free. In addition, many credit card companies and banks offer a no cost opportunity to view and monitor your credit at the simple click of a button, so you might as well take advantage of this as well.
For other tips on credit monitoring and protecting your identity, do not hesitate to contact our offices.