 TITLE: Steps to Take if You Are a Victim of Credit Card Fraud CONTENT: How Can Credit Card Fraud Impact My Credit?\n-------------------------------------------\nWhen credit card fraud goes undetected, thieves have a chance to run up charges in your name—which they never intend to pay. This can be damaging to your credit profile. In most cases, you'll be able to clear up these matters by proving you didn't authorize the charges. In the meantime, however, anyone checking your credit may see fraudulent credit card accounts, missed payments or increased balances that are appearing as a result of fraud. The presence of these fraudulent items could paint a less-than-flattering picture of your credit habits. Card fraud can put negative marks on your credit reports, including:\n*   **Late payments**: If a fraudster opens a credit card account in your name and never pays a bill, late payments could be reported to the credit bureaus in your name and your credit scores could suffer. Payment history, the most important factor in credit scores, accounting for 35% of your FICO® Score☉ .\n*   **High credit utilization**: If a fraudulent credit card, or one of your own cards, is being used to run up bogus charges, your credit utilization—the percentage of your borrowing limit represented by your outstanding balances—could skyrocket. Credit utilization is nearly as important as payment history in determining your credit scores, and a high utilization could cause your credit scores to suffer.\nIf this happens to you, contact the creditor who reported the fraudulent information to the credit bureaus and they should be able to clear it up. And, again, you might consider disputing the information with the credit bureaus. END