Preventing & Dealing with Identity Theft
Reduce your chances of identity theft
Monitor your financial accounts regularly
Use online banking to see your accounts’ activity at TruChoice. If you have accounts at other financial institutions, make sure to monitor those as well. We also have TruAlerts available online that will send you a message when your balance reaches a certain level or when transactions post.
Review your credit report
Lines of credit, loans opened in your name, and charged off or collections items appear on your credit report. Checking it regularly can catch identity theft early and limit damage. Once a year you’re eligible for a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major reporting agencies. Make sure you get your free credit report from the official government site, annualcreditreport.com. Don’t use websites offering a ‘free credit report’ that require your credit card info or a subscription.
Want help making sense of your credit report? We’d be happy to sit with you and do a credit score analysis. Contact us to schedule one.
If you find something
Report suspected fraud promptly
If you see unusual activity on an account, contact your financial institution immediately. Report errors or suspected fraud on your credit report to the credit bureaus.
Consider freezing your credit report
Maine law allows you to place a security freeze on your credit report. When a freeze is in place, a lender can’t see your credit file. This can prevent Identity thieves from opening accounts in your name. You can still view your credit report when it’s frozen, and so can your current creditors.
You need to contact each credit reporting agency individually to request a freeze.
- Equifax: Call 888-298-0045 or go online
- Experian: Call 888-397-3742 or go online
- TransUnion: Call 800-916-8800 or go online
If you’re a victim of identity theft
- Notify your financial institution and ask them to close or freeze the compromised account
- Contact local police and complete a police report and Identity Theft Affidavit
- Place a fraud alert with the three credit bureaus
- Freeze your credit report
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
