The Attorney General provides Consumer Alerts to inform the public of unfair, misleading, or deceptive business practices, and to provide information and guidance on other issues of concern. Consumer Alerts are not legal advice, legal authority, or a binding legal opinion from the Department of Attorney General.
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Credit card number or financial institution account identity theft occurs when a fraudster has access to your credit account number or financial institution account information.
Immediately contact your credit card company. Explain that you are a victim of identity theft.
Request that your account be closed or frozen so that no new charges are incurred without your permission.
Ensure login information used would not be easy for a fraudster to figure out.
Do not use your mother’s maiden name, your birthdate, or the last four digits of your social security number for account login authentication.
You should file a police report. Take along: ID, proof of your address, and proof of theft. You will be provided with a copy.
Police departments are required to take your report under MCL 762.10C and MCL 780.754A.
Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report identity theft and to obtain a recovery plan.
Contact your financial institution to alert them that you were a victim of a scam.
Make it more difficult for a fraudster to obtain credit in your name. By contacting just one of the three credit reporting agencies (CRAs), the other two will be notified of your fraud alert request.
Equifax
Online: Equifax online fraud alert request form (PDF)
Call: 800-525-6285 or 888-766-0008
Write: P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374
Experian
Online: Experian online fraud alert request form
Call: 888-397-3742
Write: P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion
Online: TransUnion online fraud alert request form
Call: 800-680-7289
Write: P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
You must request from all three credit reporting agencies:
Equifax: Equifax security/credit freeze request form
Experian: Experian security/credit freeze request form
TransUnion: TransUnion security/credit freeze request form
Monitory your credit on an ongoing basis by requesting your free annual credit report from all three credit reporting agencies online or by calling 877-322-8228.
ChexSystems is a specialized credit reporting agency that financial institutions use for account verification. ChexSystems collects and reports data on banking account applications, openings, and closures, including reasons for account closure. A security freeze here can help prevent financial accounts from being opened using your information.
Online: ChexSystems security freeze request form
Call: 800-887-7652