 TITLE: How to Check for Identity Theft CONTENT: What Can I Do if I Suspect Identity Theft?\n------------------------------------------\nIf you think you've been the victim of identity theft, the first order of business is to contact the companies affected by the fraud. For instance, if it involves one of your debit or credit cards, you'll want to call the bank or credit card issuer to have them cancel the card and issue a new one with a different number to prevent more unauthorized charges. Change account details such as usernames, PINs and passwords associated with the card to prevent further fraud.\nOnce you've secured the affected accounts, consider reporting it to government agencies. Doing so can unlock resources and support while you work on undoing the damage. Filing a police report may be in order, especially if you think reporting it can help law enforcement catch the perpetrator. The FTC's fraud reporting website, IdentityTheft.gov, is where you'll find detailed instructions on dealing with various forms of identity theft.\nTo be safe, you'll also want to review your credit report for any information that's appearing as a result of fraud. If you find any, contact the company reporting it and request to have it removed. If that doesn't work, you can dispute credit report information with each of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion). Checking your credit reports can also alert you to fraud you didn't know about. However, it may take a few monthly billing cycles for a fraudulent new credit account to appear on your report, so be sure to continue to monitor your credit regularly going forward.\nYou can add another layer of protection by freezing your credit or setting up a fraud alert, which are both free. The latter appears on your credit report and instructs lenders to take additional measures to verify your identity when processing new applications in your name. A credit freeze goes a step further and actually prohibits new creditors from pulling your credit report until you unfreeze it. Without access to your credit report, lenders cannot approve any applications for new credit. Remember, though, that freezes and fraud alerts will also restrict legitimate new applications for credit, so you'll likely need to take extra steps if you plan on applying for a loan or credit card while those safeguards are in place. END