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Fraud Alerts
Those who have been the victims of identity theft have the right to ask that the major credit reporting agencies place a fraud alert in their file. Though it may delay one’s ability to obtain credit, a fraud alert also makes it more difficult for someone to get credit in another persons name because it tells creditors to follow certain protective procedures. This can be done by simply calling just one of the 3 major credit reporting agencies. The agency processes the fraud alert will notify the other 2, which are also required to place fraud alerts in that file.
There are 2 main types of fraud alerts. An initial fraud alert stays in a file for at least 90 days, and an extended alert stays in the file for 7 years. The extended alert requires an identity theft report. Both require appropriate proof of identity, including Social Security number.
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