Identity Theft
Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information and uses it repeatedly to open new accounts or initiate transactions in your name. Identity theft is easily confused with fraud. Carefully review all your account(s). Since identity theft takes time to completely resolve, you should continue to carefully review all charges and transactions appearing on account statements and online. Any discrepancies should be reported immediately. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft that extends beyond your Sooper Credit Union account(s), here are some steps you should consider taking:
Contact Sooper Credit Union. Report any fraudulent activity on your Sooper Credit Union account(s) by calling the Denver Branch at 303-986-7500 or toll-free at 1-888-SOOPER-1.
File a report with your local police (Call your local non-emergency number). If you suspect that your personal information was stolen.
A police report will lend weight to your case when dealing with creditors who may require proof of criminal activity. Ask for copies of your report, if possible, and keep it with your important documents. You may be asked to present them in the future.
Contact the major credit bureaus. The fraud departments of the three main credit bureaus track the accounts opened in your name. You can request that a short or long term "fraud alert" be placed on your credit file, which requires creditors to verify your identity before opening any new accounts in your name or changing any existing accounts. You only need to contact one bureau to do this - that bureau will notify the others.
Credit bureaus must provide victims of identity theft with a free copy of their credit report. You should request one from each bureau, since the information can differ. Look them over carefully to see if any fraudulent accounts have been opened, and if so, notify the credit bureau and the companies where accounts were opened to report the fraud directly. Once the dispute has been resolved, the credit bureaus that you dealt with will send you another copy of your credit report so you can review it again to make sure that all fraudulent activity has stopped and your file has been corrected.
For more information about the steps to take, and to get your credit reports, contact the credit bureaus listed below.
-
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 or www.equifax.com
-
Experian: 1-888-397-3742 or www.experian.com
-
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 or www.transunion.com
Contact other creditors. Contact your other creditors including credit card and phone companies as well as banks and other lenders, to notify them of potential fraud. Always follow up any telephone conversations with a letter. Close any accounts that have been breached and reopen them with new account numbers and passwords. We strongly suggest not using your social security number as either a username or password.
Report the criminal activity to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Call the toll-free hotline at 1-877-ID
THEFT (1-877-438-4338) to speak with a trained identity theft counselor, or enter information about your complaint into a secure FTC online database at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. Your information may be shared with other law enforcement agencies investigating identity theft.
Contact other agencies as appropriate:
Social Security Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271 - If you suspect someone is using your social security number for fraudulent purposes, call the hotline.
Postal Inspection Service at www.usps.com/ - If you believe your mail was stolen or redirected, notify the Postal Inspector at your local post office.
Department of Motor Vehicles office at www.dmv.org/ - If you believe someone is trying to get a driver's license or identification card using your name and information, contact your local DMV.
Revised July 2008