i have now been personally affected by identity theft/credit fraud, and
would like to do what i can to make sure no one else i know has to deal
with it.


recently, someone took out a loan in my name for $7,000. i've spent a lot
of time on the phone with fraud agencies, credit bureaus, and the police,
resulting in a crash course in identity theft. luckily, i am not 
responsible for the money, and it will (hopefully) be expunged from my
credit report, but the whole experience has freaked me out a bit.


in the course of dealing with these events, i found out that there's
something you can do that will help to prevent identity theft from
happening to you. the three major credit bureaus, through which all credit
card applications, loan applications, and such much be checked, offer a
free service called fraud alert. basically, if you set it up, they have to
call you for approval before any new credit cards or loans are processed.
it's a free service and takes about five minutes to do over the phone.


not two hours after i set up the credit bureau alert i got a phone call
that someone had applied for *another* loan in my name. fortunately, they
were calling me for approval, so no money was granted and it was declared
another case of fraud.


the following numbers are the numbers to call:


experian: 888.397.3742

equifax: 800.525.6285

transunion: 800.680.7289


i highly encourage you to set up the fraud alert service. it's free, and
one of the only things you can do to protect yourself; too bad it's still
no guarantee. other things you can do include shredding pre-approved
credit card applications and receipts before throwing them away, and
regularly monitoring card activity.


as far as i know there is no way to fully prevent identity theft from
happening, which is an unsettling thought. you can also obtain a copy of
your credit report from any of the major credit bureaus; it's a good idea
to be aware of what's on it.


anyway, just passing on what i had to learn the hard way.


jes