While identity theft is on the rise, it is very important to know how to protect yourself and how to check your credit report. Your credit report and your credit score go hand in hand. The scores that are given to you are based on what your report reads. There are three major credit agencies, Trans Union, Expeiran and Equifax. All three of these agencies are listed on your credit report. On your report will be every creditor you owe money to. The best way to review your report is to make a list of the credit cards and debt that you are aware of then go through each page of the report and circle any debts listed on the report that you did not write on your list.

If you happen to find anything that does not belong contact the credit agency that the debt appears under and tell them you do not recognize the creditor. Then you can contact the creditor and ask them to send you a bill or a statement and see if you recognize the statement. Then if you do not recognize the charges contact the creditor and let them know it is not your charge.

It is very important to know what your credit score is from the beginning. You should find out what it is every 6 months. By knowing your credit score and seeing your credit report you can determine whether or not you have been the victim of identity theft. Most people are not aware that that they have become victims until a year later.

By reading your credit report and knowing your score it will help you keep you up to date on your credit history. There are ways to determine and recognize identity theft. If there is something that you did not charge on your credit card bill or statement then alert the credit card company right away. They will monitor your bills for while to make sure it does not happen again.

You want to also keep track of all of your bank statements and if you see a withdrawals that you did not make contact the bank immediately. Cancel any credit cards that may some charges that you did not charge. That is the key to preventing a huge mess of your credit. By keeping track of everything on a monthly basis you can keep the damage to a minimum because most people as we mentioned don't realize it until it is too late.

Most people believe that identity theft is never going to happen to them but it can and you should be prepared by paying attention to your information, your credit cards statements, credit scores, credit reports and bank accounts. Report any and all suspicious activity to the correct authorities. You may be able to catch a small problem before it gets any bigger.

TrackBack URI for this entry