Visit the Identity Theft Prevention & Recovery Blog sponsored by ID Experts In this blog, you will hear from experts in identity theft who will discuss recent news and legislation, scams & alerts, as well as providing sound and useful advice on protecting yourself from this growing crime.

Recent Tip

Free Credit Reports?

Identity Theft Resources

Everyone should check their credit reports at least once a year to make sure that all of the information contained in them is accurate and up to date. You should also check your reports for any information that is fraudulent, which could signal that you are the victim of identity theft. This includes accounts as well as personal information such as addresses and phone numbers.

There's only one legitimate source where you can obtain your FREE credit reports and that's annualcreditreport.com. The law requires that each of the major credit reporting agencies - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - make available to you a copy of your credit report every year at no charge.

If you are ever online and are asked to enter a credit card number in order to obtain a copy of your credit report, DON'T DO IT. Many of the companies that advertise free credit reports and credit scores will enroll you in services that you don't want or need. Cancelling these services once you've given over your billing information can be difficult or downright impossible.

Government Resources

FTC Identity Theft Site
This website is a one-stop national resource to learn about the crime of identity theft. It provides detailed information to help you deter, detect, and defend against identity theft.

Credit Offer Opt-Out Site
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the big credit bureaus are permitted to include your name on lists used by creditors or insurers to make offers of credit or insurance that are not initiated by you. The FCRA also provides you the right to "Opt-Out", which prevents these big bureaus from selling or giving your personal information to these companies.

AnnualCreditReport.com Site
This site allows you to request a free credit file disclosure, commonly called a credit report, once every 12 months from each of the big consumer credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

FTC ID Theft Booklet
IRS ID Theft Sheet
National Treasury, Do's and Donts

Scams & Fraud

College Credit Card Scam: CBS Early Show, 2007
"A college student who ran one of the credit card booths was responsible for posting my information. Even though I now have a new Social Security number, I constantly have to monitor my credit reports. I have had to explain all of this to employers who run background checks on me. Those free T-shirts wound up costing me $150,000!"

Dangers on Facebook, 2007
ID fraudsters target Facebook and other social networking sites to harvest information about you. Sophos makes recommendation for setting Facebook privacy options and developing good practices to protect against online identity theft.