Several Residents Have Recently Reported Being Victims of Fraud — Take Advantage of Not Just One But Two Free Credit Reports Annually

As reported in a recent Walton County Sheriff's Office report, fraud keeps local law enforcement agencies busy these days.  had their deceased child's identity stolen, which they discovered when they tried to file their taxes online.

In Barrow County, on April 12, 13, 17 and 19, five separate complainants reported someone had fraudulently filed their tax returns.

To ensure you are not a victim of identity fraud and that no one has used your personal financial information, you can request not just one but two free credit reports yearly. Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act entitles residents to two free credit reports from each of the three reporting agencies.

The Better Business Bureau recommends you take advantage of this over the course of the year.  

Did you know the Federal Trade Commission ranked Georgia at No. 2 among the 50 states in identity theft complaints per capita last year and No. 2 for overall fraud complaints? Click here to read more. 

To request the second of your free annual reports, which would be sent to you by mail, you need to contact the three main national credit reporting agencies directly.

How to contact the credit bureaus

Equifax Credit Information Services Inc.
General inquiries or additional free credit report:
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
800-685-1111
www.equifax.com/fcra

Experian National Consumer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
General inquiries: 888-397-3742
Additional free credit report: 866-200-6020
www.experian.com/freestate
www.experian.com/reportaccess (if denied credit within past 60 days)

TransUnion Consumer Relations
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022
General inquiries: 800-916-8800
Additional free credit report: 800-888-4213
http://annualcreditreport.transunion.com/pdf/DisclosureRequest.pdf

When requesting a credit report by mail, for the purpose of accurate file-matching, include your full name, current full address, including zip code, Social Security number, date of birth and most recent former address.

The credit bureaus may vary in how they provide your additional free credit reports, and the report you receive from one of the bureaus, as well as your credit score, could be different from the others. Each agency collects its own data, and they do not necessarily receive the same information from your creditors. It is important to review your credit report from each bureau to ensure the information is accurate and there is no fraudulent activity attributed to you.

What to do if you are a victim of identity fraud

You can call any one of the three credit reporting agencies to request a fraud alert be placed on all three of your files and a copy of each current report be sent to you.

You should also report fraudulent activity to your local law enforcement agency — the Winder Police Department for those living within Winder City Limits, the Statham Police Department for Statham residents, the Auburn Police Department for those living in Auburn and the Barrow County Sheriff's Office for residents outside city limits. 

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