What is a fraud alert?
A fraud alert is a warning that you place on your credit report to protect yourself from identity theft. A fraud alert is a way to alert potential creditors that you may be a victim of identity theft. When a credit reporting agency receives a request to add a fraud alert to a credit report, the agency will add the alert and notify the other two credit bureaus to do the same. A fraud alert is a helpful tool for anyone who has been a victim of identity theft and does not want to further risk the possibility of the thief using their identity for future purchases. When a creditor sees a fraud alert, it will contact you via phone or mail to verify you authorized the purchase before processing a request for credit. This extra step can help you significantly protect against identity theft and any unauthorized purchases on your credit card. In California, you can place a fraud alert on your credit report by contacting any of the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You only need to contact one of them and the other two agencies will be alerted too. Additionally, the three major credit bureaus must provide free fraud alerts to consumers on request and they will stay in place for at least 90 days. Fraud alerts are an important tool to help protect credit card owners from identity theft, and it is important to know how to use them in California. If you are a victim of identity theft and want to place a fraud alert on your credit report, the three credit reporting bureaus are available to assist and provide you with important information about safeguarding your credit.
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