I know many people are now concerned about potential identity theft with MSP/MOM's latest antics, and some people have signed up for credit monitoring. I wanted to make sure everyone was also aware that one can file a fraud alert with any of the three credit bureaus free of charge. You only need to submit an alert to one bureau - they will share it with the others. A 90 day alert can be initiated online for anyone who feels they may be a victim of identity theft. If you have in fact been a victim of identity theft, I believe there is a more involved process. I am not a lawyer, so make sure you read and understand all the terms and conditions to submitting a request. Here are the links to the three credit bureaus:
Equifax
https://www.alerts.equifax.com/AutoFraud_Online/jsp/fraudAlert.jsp
Experian
https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html
Transunion
http://www.transunion.com/personal-credit/credit-disputes/fraud-alerts.page
FWIW, Experian will provide a free copy of your credit report, though they all may do that.
Edit:
Several people have indicated that a security freeze may be more appropriate than a fraud alert. The alert tells creditors to be more cautious and verify your identity (often times by calling you at a number you provide) before extending credit, whereas the freeze prevents creditors from seeing your credit report (with some exceptions) which prevents new credit lines from being opened. You can read more about the difference here:
http://www.equifax.com/credit/fraud-alerts/
If you feel that a freeze is more appropriate, there is a cost and it must be done at each credit bureau. The websites for a credit freeze are here:
Equifax:
https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp
Experian:
https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
Transunion:
http://www.transunion.com/personal-credit/credit-disputes/credit-freezes.page
As others have noted, the fee in MD is $5.
Equifax
https://www.alerts.equifax.com/AutoFraud_Online/jsp/fraudAlert.jsp
Experian
https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html
Transunion
http://www.transunion.com/personal-credit/credit-disputes/fraud-alerts.page
FWIW, Experian will provide a free copy of your credit report, though they all may do that.
Edit:
Several people have indicated that a security freeze may be more appropriate than a fraud alert. The alert tells creditors to be more cautious and verify your identity (often times by calling you at a number you provide) before extending credit, whereas the freeze prevents creditors from seeing your credit report (with some exceptions) which prevents new credit lines from being opened. You can read more about the difference here:
http://www.equifax.com/credit/fraud-alerts/
If you feel that a freeze is more appropriate, there is a cost and it must be done at each credit bureau. The websites for a credit freeze are here:
Equifax:
https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp
Experian:
https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
Transunion:
http://www.transunion.com/personal-credit/credit-disputes/credit-freezes.page
As others have noted, the fee in MD is $5.
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