The Three Credit Bureaus

• Three organizations create credit reports: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.
• By law, you can request one report per year from each bureau.  The bureaus jointly sponsor AnnualCreditReport.com, created to help consumers obtain their free credit reports.

Monitoring and Reviewing

• Check your monthly statements to make sure there's no unauthorized spending.
• If your credit card company calls you, return the call immediately.  They may want to verify purchases to ensure no fraud is taking place.
• Order your free credit report three times a year (one from each organization) for a review.  Make sure the information (name, addresses, social security number) is consistent across all the reports and correct.  Spread it out throughout the year.  If you order one at tax time and two when you change the clocks for daylight savings time, you'll be all set!

If You Suspect Fraud

• Call the credit card company and have them issue you a new card.
• You probably do not need to do a fraud alert because the credit bureaus may not use that information.
• Instead, you can freeze your credit.  It costs $5 with each bureau for a total of $15.  Just make sure you don't plan to apply for credit in the next six months or so because you will have to unfreeze it.
• Submit a personal statement explaining what happened to each bureau.

Helpful Websites