Resources

We Protect You From Credit Card Fraud

If you think you have become a victim of identity theft or fraud, act immediately to minimize the damage to your personal funds and financial accounts and reputation.

1. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report the situation. You can access the FTC online, call toll-free at 1-877-ID THEFT (877-438-4338) or TDD at 202-326-2502, or send mail to Consumer Response Center, FTC, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, the Federal Trade Commission is responsible for receiving and processing complaints from people who think they are victims of identity theft. The FTC provides informational materials to people and refers complaints to appropriate entities, including the major credit reporting agencies and law enforcement agencies. For further information, please check the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft web pages.
2. Call your local Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office or the U.S. Secret Service to report claims relating to identity theft and/or fraud.
3. Contact other agencies for other types of identity theft.
   1. The local United States Post Office if you suspect that you are a victim of identity theft, submit a change of address form with the Post Office to redirect your mail, or the mail that was used to commit frauds involving your identity.
   2. The Social Security Administration office if you suspect that your Social Security number is being fraudulently used
      (call 1.800.269.0271 to report the fraud.
   3. The Internal Revenue Service if you suspect the improper use of identification information in connection with tax violations
      (call 1.800.829.0433 to report the violations).
4. Call the fraud units of the three principal credit reporting agencies.
5. Notify ChexSystems to have a security flag issued under your person identification information. ChexSystems is a nationwide specialty consumer reporting agency under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). ChexSystems' clients regularly report negative information on closed checking and savings bank accounts. If you need to notify ChexSystems, information is provided below.
   ChexSystems
   Mail:
   Chex Systems, Inc
   Attn: Consumer Relations
   7805 Hudson Road, Suite 100
   Woodbury, MN 55125
   Fax: 602.659.2197
   Tel: 800.428.9623
6. Contact all your creditors with whom your name or identifying data has been fraudulently used. For example, you may need to contact your issuing credit cards company if your Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card was stolen or you find fraudulent unauthorized charges on your bill.
7. Contact all your financial institutions where you have accounts that an identify thief has stolen or that were created in your name, but without your knowledge.
8. Cancel those accounts, place stop-payment orders on any outstanding checks that may not have cleared, and change your Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card account and Personal Identification Number (PIN).

Credit Reporting Agencies

The amended Fair Credit Reporting Act permits consumers to request a FREE copy of their credit report once every 12 months from each of the three credit reporting agencies. (i.e. Equifax, Experian, TransUnion)

You can order a FREE credit report:

• Online: www.annualcreditreport.com
• On the phone: call 1.877.322.8228.
• By mail: complete the Annual Credit Request Form - found at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/requestformfinal.pdf.  (PDF Help)
  and mail to:
  Annual Credit Report Request Service
  P.O. Box 105281
  Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
  
  

DO NOT CONTACT THE THREE NATIONWIDE CONSUMER REPORTING COMPANIES INDIVIDUALLY!

• For more information, visit - Free Credit Reports

If you do need information about the specific national agencies, it is provided below.

Equifax (www.equifax.com)
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
1.800.685.1111
Order a copy of your credit report ($8 in most states), write to:
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
1.800.685.1111
To opt out of pre-approved offers of credit, call: 1.888.567.8688 or write to:
Equifax Options
P.O. Box 740123
Atlanta, GA 30374-0123

Experian (www.experian.com)
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013-0949
1.888.EXPERIAN (397..3742)
Order a copy of your credit report ($8 in most states), write to:
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013
1.888.EXPERIAN (379.3742)
To opt out of pre-approved offers of credit, call:
1.800.353.0809 or 888.5OPTOUT or write to:
P.O. Box 919
Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion (www.transunion.com)
P.O. Box  1000
Chester, PA 19022
1.800.916.8800
Order a copy of your credit report ($8 in most states), write to:
P.O. Box 390
Springfield, PA 19054
1.800.888.4213
To opt out of pre-approved offers of credit and marketing lists, call:
1.800.680.7293 or (888) 5OPTOUT or write to:
P.O. Box 97328
Jackson, MS 39238

• Consumer Alerts - Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act)
  There are a variety of local credit reporting agencies as well. Check your local telephone directory under headings such as "Credit Reporting Agencies" for names of similar companies in your area.
• Credit Scores
  To find out about your credit score - what it is and how it affects you, visit:
  How Credit Scores Affect the Price of Credit and Insurance (www.ftc.gov)
• Fixing Credit Reports
  If your credit report contains inaccurate information, or the report shows accounts that you never applied for, how do I have this information removed? For information, see: Disputing Errors on Credit Reports (www.ftc.gov)
• Bankruptcy and Negative Information
  A consumer reporting company can report most accurate negative information for seven years and bankruptcy information for ten years. For more information see: Free Credit Reports (www.ftc.gov)
• Credit Reports and Divorce
  If you had a joint account with your spouse, you are both responsible for the debt even if you are divorced. For more detailed information see:
  Divorce and Credit (www.ftc.gov)
  Co-signing a Loan (www.ftc.gov)

The use of Consumer Reports, which incorporates background checks, is (in part) governed by several different federal entities. Chicago Intel Agency, Ltd. has located the following resources that contain information valuable to our clients.

Laws Governing Background Checks

• Fair Credit Reporting Act
• Requirements of Consumer Report Use
• A Summary of Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
• Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994
• Americans With Disabilities Act Information (ADA)
• Fair Housing Act

Government Websites

• Fair Labor Standards Act – Office of Professional Management
• U.S. Department of Labor
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)