Protecting Your Credit
Your credit report
Getting your credit report periodically is an important step in protecting your identity.
One of the best ways you can protect your credit is by taking advantage of your free annual credit report. The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies to provide you with a free credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. Get your free annual credit report from the FTC authorized source.
You can also order your free annual credit report by calling 1.877.322.8228, or by completing the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
When you order your annual credit report, you need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. To verify your identity, you may need to provide some information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment.
THIS NOTICE IS REQUIRED BY LAW
Read more at FTC.GOV. You have the right to a free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com or 877.322.8228, the ONLY authorized source under federal law.
Sandia Area will only advise you to use AnnualCreditReport.com
The Federal Trade Commission advises consumers who order their free annual credit report online to be sure to correctly spell “annualcreditreport.com,” or link to it from Sandia Area’s website to avoid being misdirected to other websites that offer supposedly free annual credit reports, but only with the purchase of other products. While consumer may be offered additional products and services while on the authorized website, they are not required to make a purchase to receive their annual credit report.
Other ways to protect your credit
Your credit score is an extremely important factor that may affect whether you’re approved for credit and how much you’ll pay to borrow. Don’t wait until identity theft happens to you – by putting time and effort into protecting your information today, you may save a lot of hassles in the future. Here are six tips to help you maintain your good credit:
1. Secure your devices and online accounts
While mobile devices often make our lives easier, they can also present risks without the proper precautions. It is important to keep your online life secure.
Learn about how to protect yourself online ►
2. Shop safely online
With 24/7 access, no crowds and variety, online shopping is often a convenient alternative to brick and mortar stores – that is, if you’re careful about where you shop.
Get online security tips here ►
3. Shred documents that contain personal information.
It may seem old-fashioned, but this standard piece of advice still rings true. If thieves sort through your trash or recycling bin and find forms, bank statements, credit card bills, receipts or other documents that contain personal information, they could easily piece together enough data to create fraudulent accounts in your name.
Learn more about how to protect your information here ►
4. Proactively guard key information.
A huge part of protecting your identity comes down to you.
Learn more about ID theft here ►
5. Check your credit and financial accounts regularly.
While this technically won’t help prevent identity theft, monitoring your credit report information, account balances and financial transactions regularly may be one of the best ways to quickly catch fraud and stop it before it gets out of control.
6. Credit Monitoring Service
Consider Delux Provent, a credit-monitoring service, as your next line of defense against identity theft.