(Newswire Today) —  Boston, MA, United States, 2005-06-20 - Is Recent Credit Card Fraud Could Had Been Avoided? Identity theft is a serious crime. Some say that companies should not keep transactions records, others say they must, who to believe?.

If you think your identity or credit card info have been stolen, here's what you must do:

A/ Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit file. The fraud alert requests creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. As soon as the credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the other two credit bureaus will be automatically notified to place fraud alerts. Once the alert is placed, you may order a free copy of your credit report from all three major credit bureaus.

* Consumers in the Western states B Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming B can order their free reports beginning December 1, 2004.

* Consumers in the Midwestern states B Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin B can order their free reports beginning March 1, 2005.

* Consumers in the Southern states B Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas B can order their free reports beginning June 1, 2005.

* Consumers in the Eastern states B Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia B District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all U.S. territories can order their free reports beginning September 1, 2005.

B/ Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Use the ID Theft Affidavit when disputing new unauthorized accounts. ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf

C/ File your complaint with the FTC. The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. Filing a complaint also helps us learn more about identity theft and the problems victims are having so that we can better assist you.

D/ File a police report. Get a copy of the report to submit to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.

Source: Federal Trade Commission

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