Identity Theft Warning Signs

If your identity is stolen you need to know about it ASAP so you can stop further fraud and work on repairing your good name.

Here are some major signs that you are the victim of identity theft.

DENIED!
Your application for credit or a job is turned down based on your credit report—and as far as you know, your credit history is good.

RIPPED OFF!
Your credit card, bank balance, or other financial statements show charges you never made. Or you receive a statement for a credit card you didn’t know you had.

HARASSED!
Collections agencies start calling you out of the blue to collect on debts you never incurred.

MISSING MAILS!
This one might seem the most innocent—you might even be grateful at first! But if your bills stop coming, that’s a bad thing. It might mean an identity thief has changed your address on your credit card statement so you won’t notice the fraudulent charges on your account. And guess what? The thief isn’t taking care of those bills for you.

If you have one of these symptoms, don’t assume it’s simply a clerical error, and don’t put off investigating it. Find out what’s up. Your first move? Order your credit report and see for yourself what the deal is.